Feeding Patterns Research Articles

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FEEDING PATTERNS AND THE INCIDENCE OF STUNTING IN TODDLERS IN THE WORK AREA OF THE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER OF SUMOBITO, JOMBANG

Background: Stunting is a condition where the index of body length compared to age (PB/U) or height compared to age (TB/U) is shorter than age. Simply put, stunting is a term for growth disorders in children. Objectives: This study aimed to determine and analyze the relationship between feeding patterns and the incidence of stunting in toddlers in the Sumobito Community Health Center working area. Design: This research method uses correlational analytics with a cross-sectional approach. The research population was 209 people. The research sample consisted of 41 respondents using random sampling techniques with data collection using questionnaires on the variables of feeding patterns and height observation. Statistical analysis in this study used the Spearman Rank correlation test. Results: The research, results showed that the majority of respondents had appropriate feeding patterns, 21 respondents (51.2%), and the majority of respondents with very short stunting, 21 respondents (51.2%). Analysis of feeding patterns on the incidence of stunting showed a p-value of 0.002 < (0.05), which means that there is a relationship between feeding patterns and the incidence of toddlers in the Sumobito Jombang health center working area. Conclusion: Proper feeding patterns carried out by mothers can influence the nutritional status of toddlers if nutritional status is met, toddlers will avoid stunting.

Correction to: Utilization of a zoo for mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) diversity analysis, arboviral surveillance, and blood feeding patterns

Correction to: Utilization of a zoo for mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) diversity analysis, arboviral surveillance, and blood feeding patterns

Differential sensitivity and specificity of Aedes aegypti and Anopheles gambiae to adenine nucleotide phagostimulants—an all-or-none response?

BackgroundThe decision to imbibe a blood meal is predominantly dependent on the sensitivity and specificity of haematophagous arthropods to blood-derived adenine nucleotides, in particular adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Despite previous efforts to identify and characterise the specificity and sensitivity to ATP and other adenine nucleotides, as well as the role of other blood-derived phagostimulants across the Culicidae, comparisons across species remain difficult.MethodsThe feeding response of the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti and the African malaria vector Anopheles gambiae to adenine nucleotides in the presence of a carbonate buffer was assessed using a membrane feeding assay. The proportion of mosquitoes engorged and the volume imbibed by all mosquitoes was scored visually and spectrophotometrically. In addition, the proportion of prediuresing An. gambiae, as well as the volume engorged and prediuresed, was examined.ResultsAedes aegypti was more sensitive to adenine nucleotides than An. gambiae, but both species maintained specificity to these phagostimulants, demonstrating a dose-dependent bimodal feeding pattern, thereby expanding our understanding of the all-or-none blood-feeding hypothesis. Feeding on the bicarbonate buffer by An. gambiae—but not that of Ae. aegypti—demonstrated a species-specific variation in how blood phagostimulants are encoded. Adenine nucleotides, with and without bovine serum albumin, were observed to dose-dependently regulate the proportion of An. gambiae prediuresing and the volumes prediuresed but not volumes engorged.ConclusionsTaken together, the results of this study expand our understanding of how mosquitoes differentially assess and respond to blood meal constituents, and provide a basis for further physiological and molecular studies.Graphical

Insights into trypanosomiasis transmission: Age, infection rates, and bloodmeal analysis of Glossina fuscipes fuscipes in N.W. Uganda.

Tsetse flies (Glossina) transmit species of Trypanosoma which cause human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) and animal African trypanosomiasis (AAT). Understanding the epidemiology of this disease and controlling the vector rationally requires analysis of the abundance, age structure, infection rates and feeding patterns of tsetse populations. We analysed a population of G. fuscipes fuscipes in the Koboko district of Uganda. Seasonal variation in the abundance of tsetse was assessed from the numbers of tsetse caught in pyramidal traps. The age structure of the population was assessed by dissecting female tsetse to estimate their ovarian categories. Classical and PCR-based methods were utilised to determine the presence of the three major pathogenic species of salivarian trypanosomes: T. vivax, T. congolense and T. brucei in a subset (n = 2369) of flies. Further, bloodmeal analysis was carried using PCR to amplify and sequence a portion of the vertebrate cytb gene. The abundance and age structure of tsetse populations were relatively stable and a slight seasonal four-fold variation in abundance appeared to be correlated with rainfall. Analyses of age structure suggests a low natural daily mortality of 1.75% (1.62-1.88). Infection rates estimated were significantly greater (1.9-9.3 times) using the PCR-based method compared to the classical dissection-based method. Positive rates for T. brucei sl, T. congolense and T. vivax were 1.6% (1.32-2.24), 2.4% (1.83-3.11and 2.0% (1.46-2.63), respectively by PCR. The majority of bloodmeals were identified as cattle (39%, 30.5-47.8) and human (37% of meals, 28.4-45.6). The seasonally stable abundance, low mortality rate and high proportion of bloodmeals from humans may explain, in part, why this district has historically been a focus of sleeping sickness. Additionally, the high rates of cattle feeding indicate insecticide treated cattle may prove to be a useful vector control strategy in the area.

Short-Term Prediction Method for Gas Concentration in Poultry Houses Under Different Feeding Patterns

Ammonia (NH3) and carbon dioxide (CO2) are the main gases that affect indoor air quality and the health of the chicken flock. Currently, the environmental control strategy for poultry houses mainly relies on real-time temperature, resulting in lag and singleness. Indoor air quality can be improved by predicting the change in CO2 concentration and proposing an optimal control strategy. Combining the advantages of seasonal-trend decomposition using loess (STL), Granger causality (GC), long short-term memory (LSTM), and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), an ensemble method called the STL-GC-LSTM-XGBoost model is proposed. This model can set fast response prediction results at a lower cost and has strong generalization ability. The comparative analysis shows that the proposed STL-GC-LSTM-XGBoost model achieved high prediction accuracy, performance, and confidence in predicting CO2 levels under different environmental regulation modes and data volumes. However, its prediction accuracy for NH3 was slightly lower than that of the STL-GC-LSTM model. This may be due to the limited variability and regularity of the NH3 dataset, which likely increased model complexity and decreased predictive ability with the introduction of XGBoost. Nevertheless, in general, the proposed integrated model still provides a feasible approach for gas concentration prediction and health-related risk control in poultry houses.

The Influence of Habitat Diversity on Bat Species Richness and Feeding Behavior in Chilean Vineyards: Implications for Agroecological Practices

Agriculture is a leading cause of biodiversity loss, making the transition to sustainable agroecological practices crucial. Insectivorous bats play a crucial role as biological controllers in regard to agricultural crops, serving as important insect predators. The purpose of this study is to assess bat communities in three distinct habitats, namely the interior of a vineyard, native vegetation, and the transitional edge between them, by analyzing the echolocation patterns of different species. Generalized linear mixed models were used to evaluate the influence of landscape characteristics on bat communities and at the species level, allowing the incorporation of variables at different scales (at 10 m, 100 m, and 1000 m radius) from each sampling site. Our results show that edges enhance bat richness, their general activity, and feeding patterns, and are of particular benefit to certain species: Tadarida brasiliensis, Myotis chiloensis, and Lasiurus varius. Implementing agroecological practices, such as the maintenance of tree hedgerows at the landscape scale, along with native vegetation at the landscape scale, can amplify feeding activity in vineyards, thereby enhancing the provision of ecosystem services in agroecosystems. The edges of vineyards and natural vegetation are crucial for providing habitats for bats and increasing their foraging activity, as well as providing a way to enhance agroecological practices in vineyards to bolster ecosystem services.

Bat-associated ticks as a potential link for vector-borne pathogen transmission between bats and other animals.

Potentially zoonotic pathogens have been previously detected in bat-associated ticks, but their role in disease transmission and their frequency of feeding on non-bat hosts is poorly known. We used molecular blood meal analysis to reveal feeding patterns of the bat-associated tick species Ixodes ariadnae, I. simplex, and I. vespertilionis collected from cave and mine walls in Central and Southeastern Europe. Vertebrate DNA, predominantly from bats, was detected in 43.5% of the samples (70 of 161 ticks) but in these ticks we also detected the DNA of non-chiropteran hosts, such as dog, Canis lupus familiaris, wild boar, Sus scrofa, and horse, Equus caballus, suggesting that bat-associated ticks may exhibit a much broader host range than previously thought, including domestic and wild mammals. Furthermore, we detected the zoonotic bacteria Neoehrlichia mikurensis in bat ticks for the first time, and other bacteria, such as Bartonella and Wolbachia. In the light of these findings, the role of bat ticks as disease vectors should be urgently re-evaluated in more diverse host systems, as they may contribute to pathogen transmission between bats and non-chiropteran hosts.

Culicoides biting midges in urban areas of northern Spain.

Culicoides biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) are known vectors of multiple arboviruses of veterinary and medical importance, as well as avian haemosporidian parasites. Despite their significant role as vectors, the distribution of Culicoides species in non-farmland habitats remains largely unknown. We conducted a study to assess the species community composition, abundance, and host feeding patterns of Culicoides biting midges in urban ecosystems in northern Spain. Light-baited suction traps were operated biweekly for 6 months across six urban landscapes (three cemeteries and three green areas). In total, 181 Culicoides specimens of 18 species were morphologically identified, with the Obsoletus complex being predominant (43.% of the total catches), followed by Culicoides kibunensis (21.5%). Culicoides midges peaked in early June in green areas and in May in cemeteries. Host feeding patterns revealed avian preferences (mainly Turdus spp.) in four Culicoides species. Despite the low overall number of specimens collected, a high diversity of biting midge species was recorded. These findings offer critical insights into Culicoides ecology and their interactions with hosts in urban settings, which are vital for disease surveillance and management strategies.

Effects of different feeding patterns on growth, enzyme activity, and intestinal microbiome of the juvenile Pacific abalone Haliotis discus hannai

In northern China, the predominant food sources for abalone farming include fresh kelp, salted kelp, and formulated diets, and abalone can also endure prolonged starvation when food is scarce. While there is a dearth of comprehensive investigation into the effects of these feeding patterns on the temporal dynamics of enzyme activity, and intestinal microbiome of abalone. In this study, a total of 3600 juvenile Pacific abalones were allocated to 12 tanks, randomly divided into four groups based on the feeding patterns: fresh kelp (labeled as FK), salted kelp (SK), formulated feed (FF), and starved group (S). After a 60-day feeding trial, the results showed that abalone in the FK, SK, and FF groups exhibited significant positive effects on both weight and shell growth compared to the S group (P<0.05). Notably, the FF group displayed the highest values of the growth performance. The activity of digestive enzymes and antioxidant enzymes in the FF group had an up-regulated trend over the course of feeding trial, whereas amylase and lipase activity in abalone declined along with starvation. Moreover, the microbial Shannon index showed an overall decreasing trend over time in the FF, FK, and SK groups except for the S group. The ANOSIM analysis revealed that both feeding pattern and cultivating time significantly influenced the structure of the microbial communities. Across the feeding trial, Proteobacteria, Fusobacteriota, and Firmicutes were identified as the dominant phyla in the intestinal microbiome of abalone under different feeding patterns. The core genera were Psychrilyobacter, Mycoplasma, and Vibrio. Additionally, the neutral model analysis revealed that stochastic processes both play a key role in shaping the assembly of microbial communities in different feeding patterns. This study could offer valuable insights into the impact of different feeding patterns on growth and physiology of abalone, thereby contributing to the enhancement of management strategies in the northern Chinese abalone aquaculture industry.

Geographic variability of carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios of nonvolant terrestrial small mammals (Rodentia) across 3 Brazilian biomes

Abstract In this study, we investigated landscape variability of the carbon and nitrogen isotopic composition of nonvolant small mammals in the 3 main Brazilian biomes (Amazon, Atlantic Forest, and Cerrado) while also considering the differential spatial distribution of C4 plants in these biomes. We compiled a subset of data on stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios from nonvolant small mammals of the order Rodentia and compared the aggregated isotopic variability at the biome level using classical δ13C–δ15N biplot. The concept of isotopic niche width was used to test whether different foraging attributes drive their isotopic composition, while a Bayesian isotopic mixing model was used to estimate the proportion of 3 main food categories available to these small mammals. We also developed isoscapes in the Brazilian biomes, interpolating animals δ13C and δ15N based on the geographic coordinates of each sample and “sourcescapes” considering geographic variation of the dietary sources. The findings of this study advance our understanding of the foraging ecology of small mammals in biodiversity-rich regions of the Neotropics. Classical methodologies such as stomach content confirmed dietary choices revealed by the stable isotopic composition and also highlighted the importance of C3 and C4 plants in the diet of this group of animals, especially in biomes such as the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado, where there is a predominance of highly altered landscapes. These results confirm that replacing the original vegetation with C4 crops has altered the feeding patterns of small mammals, which could lead to critical ecological changes in the trophic structure of these areas. Vertical stratification of the dietary niche and the interaction between biome and foraging lifestyle were also observed. However, in each biome, there was significant intraspecific and interspecific variation caused by preferences for ingestion of plant and animal material, leading to different degrees of omnivory. Finally, the high local variability between individuals and species requires a larger sampling design that may also contribute to improved spatial resolution of the isoscapes.

Aedes aegypti feeding behavior during dengue outbreaks in two rural areas of Peru during the Yaku cyclone and El Niño phenomenon of 2023.

Motivation for the study. Dengue epidemics caused by A. aegypti occur during climatic events in tropical countries such as Peru; however, the feeding behavior of the mosquito usually goes unnoticed. Main findings. A. aegypti populations in Marcavelica and Querecotillo showed anthropophilic feeding behavior during cyclone Yaku and in the 2023 El Niño. However, populations with different feeding patterns are not ruled out. Implications. The PCR-RFLP technique of the blood cell cytochrome B gene could be implemented in vector control policies through an entomo-virological surveillance plan. To determine the feeding behavior of Aedes aegypti in dengue outbreaks in two rural areas of Peru during the Yaku cyclone and El Niño phenomenon of 2023. Eight blood samples (8 pools) were obtained from the abdomen of 80 Aedes aegypti specimens captured in the rural districts of Querecotillo and Marcavelica during the Yaku cyclone and El Niño dengue outbreaks. DNA was extracted from the analyzed samples, then a PCR was directed at the CytB gene as a genetic marker and the PCR products were enzymatically digested with the restrictases Hae III and Mwo I. The PCR-RFLP products were visualized by agarose gel electrophoresis at 4%. DNA was obtained from all samples and a 358 bp amplicon was obtained as a PCR product. Likewise, the only RFLP found in Hae III was from Homo sapiens sapiens (233 and 125 bp). RFLP was not found in Hae III of Gallus gallus and RFLP in Mwo I of Canis familiaris and Mus musculus. Aedes aegypti showed conserved anthropophilic feeding behavior in dengue outbreaks in rural areas during the Yaku cyclone and El Niño.

Coexistence and food sources of adult mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in a rural health center in Piura, Peru 2024.

Motivation for the study. Rural health facilities could be potential foci of transmission and scenarios of zoonosis during epidemic outbreaks of dengue and other arbovirosis due to the coexistence of mosquito species that feed on different vertebrates. Main findings. Aedes aegypti feeds on Homo sapiens sapiens. Culex quinquefasciatus feeds on Homo sapiens sapiens and Canis familiaris. Both coexist in health care areas of the Querecotillo health center. Implications. Molecular techniques should be integrated into vector control to understand feeding patterns in natural conditions and information on probable reservoirs. This study aimed to determine the coexistence and food sources of adult mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in a rural health center in Piura, Peru by using a descriptive cross-sectional design. Entomological techniques were used to capture and identify mosquitoes, and molecular biotechnology techniques were used to identify food sources. A total of 793 specimens of the Culex and Aedes genera were found coexisting, 789 (99.5%) were Culex quinquefasciatus, 607 (76.9%) were males and 182 (23.1%) were females. Likewise, 4 (100%) corresponded to Aedes aegypti females. The food sources of Aedes aegypti were Homo sapiens sapiens, and Homo sapiens sapiens and Canis familiaris were the food sources of Culex quinquefasciatus. This study provides evidence that rural health centers could be acting as foci of arbovirosis, with the risk that people who come for different ailments could contract diseases transmitted by C. quinquefasciatus and A. aegypti.

The Relationship Between Hair Zinc Levels, Feeding Patterns, and Infectious Diseases on The Incidence of Stunting in Children Aged 24-59 Months in The City of North Jakarta, Province of DKI Jakarta

Globally, stunting is a severe public health concern, especially in low- and middle-income nations like Indonesia. It is typified by stunted growth and development due to recurrent infections and chronic malnutrition. North Jakarta has a 19.8% stunting incidence, according to the 2023 Indonesian Health Survey. This indicates the critical need for additional research into the factors contributing to stunting, such as hair zinc levels, dietary habits, and infectious infections. This study employs an observational case-control design conducted in North Jakarta in March 2024. Stunting incidence and hair zinc levels are significantly correlated (p=0.000), affecting 87.5% of children with low hair zinc levels. Stunting is also correlated considerably (p=0.000) with incorrect feeding patterns; 75.7% of children who exhibit these patterns are stunted. On the other hand, there was no statistically significant correlation (p=0.806) between the incidence of stunting and a history of infectious illnesses. The mother's level of education, the child's age, gender, and family income did not significantly correlate with stunting.

Behavioral changes and transcriptional regulation of mesolimbic dopaminergic genes in a mouse model of binge eating disorder by diet intermittent access.

Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is among the most prevalent eating disorders worldwide. It is characterized by recurrent episodes of excessive consumption of palatable foods in short periods, accompanied by a sense of loss of control and distress around the episode, which tends to worsen over time. The mesolimbic dopaminergic system influences on reinforcement and reward-seeking behaviors is implicated in the disorder's pathogenesis. Animal models that replicate the clinical conditions observed in humans, including the disorder progression, are essential for understanding the underlying physiological mechanisms of BED. This study aimed to evaluate binge eating behavior induced by intermittent High Sugar and Butter (HSB) diet access in mice, their phenotypes, transcriptional regulation of mesolimbic dopaminergic system genes, and behavior. Thus, mice were subdivided into three groups: CHOW (maintenance diet only), HSB-i (maintenance diet with thrice-weekly access to HSB), and HSB (continuous access to HSB). Animals were subjected to marble-burying and light-dark box behavioral tests, and transcriptional regulation was evaluated by RT-qPCR. The results indicated that the HSB-i group established a feeding pattern of significantly more kilocalories on days when HSB was available and reduced intake on non-HSB days similar to human binge eating. Over time, binge episodes intensified, potentially indicating a tolerance effect. Additionally, these animals behave differently towards preferring the HSB diet and exhibited altered transcriptional regulation of the Drd1, Slc6a3, and Lrrk2 genes. Our study provides a mouse model that reflects human BED, showing a progression in binge episodes and mesolimbic dopamine pathway involvement, suggesting targets for future therapeutic interventions.

Dynamic feed scheduling for optimised anaerobic digestion: An optimisation approach for better decision-making to enhance revenue and environmental benefits

Anaerobic digestion (AD) offers a sustainable solution for clean energy production, with the potential for significant revenue enhancement through enhanced decision-making. However, the complexity and limited flexibility of AD systems pose challenges in developing reliable optimisation methods. Changing feeding strategies provides opportunities for efficient feedstock utilisation and optimal gas production, especially in volatile gas markets.To provide better decision-making tools in AD for energy production, we propose an integrated site model for the dynamic behaviour of the AD process in a biomethane-to-grid system and optimise production based on predicted gas prices. The model includes methods for optimal feed co-digestion strategies and integrates these results into a scheduling model to identify the optimal feedstock acquisition, feeding pattern, and potential gas storage operation considering feedstock availability, properties, sustainability, and fluctuating gas demand under different pricing variations.The methodology was tested on a 150 tonnes per day farm-scale AD plant in the UK, processing energy crops and manure considering both environmental (global warming potential) and economic objectives. The results showed strong adaptability of the proposed feeding schedule to the general trend of gas prices over time. To address the challenge of immediate price peaks, typically unattainable due to the system's sluggish behaviour and high retention times, the impacts of on-site storage were explored, leading to annual revenue increases ranging from 2 % to 7.4 %, depending on the pricing scheme, which translates to a significant boost in terms of revenue.

Association between micronutrient intake and cognitive performance of school-aged children attending selected private schools in Lagos State

Background: It has been reported that the academic performance of school-aged children has been on the decline in recent years. Feeding pattern determines micronutrient consumption and plays an important role in cognitive performance. Objectives: This research assessed the micronutrient consumption, feeding pattern, and cognitive performance of school-aged children in selected private schools in Lagos State. Methods: The socio-demographic characteristics of the parents and children, knowledge of parents on micronutrients, feeding pattern of the children, and identifying micronutrient-rich food among consumed foods were obtained using a semi-structured questionnaire. The micronutrient intake was assessed using twenty-four-hour dietary recall and the cognitive performance of the respondents was evaluated with structured questions from Slosson’s intelligence test revised third edition after which the micronutrient consumption was correlated against overall cognitive performance using Pearson’s multiple correlation range test. Results: The results indicated that the feeding pattern of the children showed that 51.3% were fed three times a day, 47.3% took snacks at least once a day and more than half (52.0%) took fruits and vegetables once a day. The micronutrient-rich foods among consumed foods were identified and they include efo and egusi, ewedu, okro, apple, orange, and milk, among others. There was a negative correlation (p&lt;0.05) between micronutrient consumption and cognitive performance among the students studied. Conclusion: This study concludes that an increase in micronutrient consumption alone does not increase cognitive performance.

Different time-restricted feeding patterns potentially modulate metabolic health by altering tryptophan metabolism of gut microbes in pigs

Time-restricted feeding has emerged as a preferred approach for alleviating metabolic disorders, but the potential microbiological mechanism remains poorly understood. This study used a growing pig model to mimic common-sense eating habits. Four feeding patterns were set up, including ad libitum feeding (ALF) for daily irregulated eating habits, time-restricted feeding (TRF) for three meals a day, early time-restricted feeding (eTRF) for skipping dinner and mid-day time-restricted feeding (mTRF) for skipping breakfast. The results showed that the three time-restricted feeding patterns (TRF, eTRF and mTRF) resulted in a reduction of hepatic fat accumulation and a decrease in hepatic function markers compared to the ALF pattern. However, this was independent of food consumption. Transcriptome analysis of the liver showed that the three time-restricted feeding patterns downregulated the expression of genes related to gluconeogenesis, β-oxidation, lipid accumulation, and urea cycle, and upregulated the expression of genes related to lipogenesis and glycolysis compared to the ALF pattern. Microbiome and metabolome analyses showed that Lactobacillus enriched in the colon of pigs in three time-restricted groups were negatively correlated with serum triglyceride. Meanwhile, three time-restricted feeding patterns elevated the levels of the microbial metabolite indole-3-lactic acid, which was further confirmed to reduce excessive hepatic lipid accumulation in vitro. Overall, time-restricted feeding potentially improved metabolic health by modulating gut microbiota and metabolites.

Complementary feeding and food handling practices among caregivers in a semi-urban setting in Northern Uganda

Background: Complementary feeding practices influence the nutritional status and health of children, especially in developing countries where sub-optimal infant feeding practices are the major cause of childhood undernutrition, morbidity, and mortality. This study sought to characterize the adequacy of complimentary feeding and food handling practices among caregivers of children aged 6-23 months in a semi-urban setting. Methods: Exploratory cross-sectional study was conducted in Adyel division, Lira district in Northern Uganda among 127 child-caregiver pairs randomly selected from three villages. Caregivers were interviewed about their child-feeding practices, complementary foods used, and common practices in handling and preparation of foods used as complementary feeds. Results: Overall, children’s feeding patterns met the recommended dietary intake when assessed using the child feeding index (CFI) whereby children aged 6-8, 9-11, and 12-23 months scored 8.03, 9.17, and 7.59, respectively. However, most children were complemented with foods from the household meals and dietary diversity was limited by frequent use of food leftover from the previous meals. Conclusions: Inappropriate meal patterns and food handling practices identified are likely to compromise child nutrition and health. Nutrition education is needed to improve the caregivers’ child-feeding and food handling practices within their socio-economic and cultural context. Keywords: Complementary feeding practices; food handling; diet quality; food safety; children; Uganda.

Feeding habits and malaria parasite infection of Anopheles mosquitoes in selected agroecological areas of Northwestern Ethiopia

BackgroundSurveillance of the host–anopheline mosquitoes’ interaction is important for assessing malaria transmission risk and guiding vector control. We assume that changes in malaria vector species’ feeding habits, as well as the surrounding environment, have a substantial impact on varied malaria transmission. In this study, we determined the vertebrate host feeding patterns of anopheline mosquitoes to characterize entomologic risk factors for malaria in Jabi Tehnan, Northwestern Ethiopia.MethodsBlood-fed anophelines surveyed during malaria surveillance in Jabi Tehnan district of northwestern Ethiopia were utilized in this study. They were collected using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) light traps deployed in selected households per village, placed indoors and outdoors, spanning three agroecological settings (dry mountain, plateau, and semiarid highlands) between June 2020 and May 2021. The engorged mosquitoes were analyzed for host blood meal sources and Plasmodium infection via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and/or sequencing. Infection rates and bovine and human blood indices were calculated and compared for abundant species; between indoors and outdoors and between agroecology using a chi-squared test for equality of proportion in R package at a significant level of p ≤ 0.05.ResultsA total of 246 mosquitoes were successfully typed (indoor, 121; outdoor, 125), with greater relative abundance indoors in mountain and plateau highlands, and outdoors in semiarid areas. Despite ecological differences in blood-fed capture rates, cattle served as the most utilized blood meal source by 11 anopheline species with an overall bovine blood index (BBI) of 74.4%. This trend was dictated by Anopheles gambiae s.l. (198/246; BBI = 73.7%), which exhibited the most plastic feeding habits that included humans (human blood index = 15.7%) and other livestock and rodents. A total of five anopheline species (An. gambiae s.l., An. funestus s.l., An. coustani s.l., An. pretoriensis, and An. pharoensis) fed on humans, of which the first three were found infected with Plasmodium parasites. Most of the infected specimens were An. arabiensis (5.6%, 11/198) and had recently fed mainly on cattle (72.7%, 8/11); one each of infected An. funestus s.l. and An. coustani s.l. had fed on humans and cattle, respectively.ConclusionsThe results demonstrate communal feeding on cattle by anophelines including primary and secondary malaria vectors. This study also indicates the importance of cattle-targeted interventions for sustainable control of malaria vectors in the study areas.Graphical abstract

Seasonal Feeding Activity and Ontogenetic Dietary Shifts of the Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio) in Lake Arekit, a Small, Eutrophic Lake in Ethiopia

ABSTRACTSeasonal feeding activity and ontogenetic dietary shifts of Cyprinus carpio (Linnaeus, 1758) were examined using 209 fish samples from Lake Arekit, Ethiopia. Among the 209 specimens, 174 (83.3%) displayed a range of dietary items in their stomachs. The species’ feeding patterns were determined through numerical indexes (frequency of occurrence and volumetric contribution) and composite indexes (index of preponderance [IOP] and Geometric Index of Importance [GIIi]). Detritus emerged as the primary food source for C. carpio, followed by macrophytes, insects and zooplankton. A lesser amount of phytoplankton, nematodes and ostracods were also consumed. On the basis of the findings, C. carpio can be classified as a detri‐omnivore, as it consumes benthic species like nematodes, ostracods and insect larvae. Seasonal fluctuations in food item consumption were noted (p &lt; 0.05), with higher intake during the rainy season and reduced consumption in the dry season. There was a distinct ontogenetic shift in the relative importance of food items and showed significant variations in food preferences among size groups (p &lt; 0.05). The contributions of animal‐origin food categories (ostracods, zooplankton and insects) were important in the diet of the smaller size class, whereas food of plant origin (macrophytes) and detritus were more important in the diet of adults. Understanding the seasonal feeding patterns and ontogenetic dietary shifts of C. carpio in Lake Arekit provides crucial insights into their ecological role within the lake's ecosystem and highlights their adaptability to eutrophic conditions.