Important Role In Malaria Transmission Research Articles

Climate zones are a key component of the heterogeneous presentation of malaria and should be added as a malariometric for the planning of malaria elimination.

Malaria is a climate-sensitive disease and different climatic conditions affect the propagation of malaria vectors thereby influencing malaria incidence. The present study was undertaken to delineate malaria distribution across different climate types and sub-types in India and assess its significance as a malariometric in the ongoing elimination activities. All Indian districts were classified into three major climatic zones (Tropical, Temperate, and others (Arid, Cold, and Polar) based on the Köppen-Geiger climate classification system. The Annual Parasite Incidence (API) of malaria was analyzed in these climatic zones using the Kruskal Wallis test, and a post hoc comparison was done using the rank-sum test with an adjusted p-value for the level of significance. Further logistic regression was used to investigate the association of these climatic zones with high malaria incidence (i.e., API>1). The majority of Indian districts fall in Temperate (N = 270/692 (39.0%)) and Tropical (N = 260/692 (37.6%)) regions, followed by Arid (N = 140/692 (20.2%)), Polar (N = 13/692 (1.9%)) and Cold (N = 9/692 (1.3%)) regions. Three climate zones: Arid, Polar, and Cold were similar in terms of malaria incidence over the years and thus were grouped into one. It was found that the tropical and temperate zones display a significantly higher burden of malaria as compared to others for the studied years (2016-2021). Future projections of climate suggest a significant expansion of tropical monsoon climate towards central and northern India, along with a growing footprint of tropical wet savannah climate in the northeast of India by 2100, which could increase the risk of malaria transmission in these regions. The heterogeneous climatic zones of India play an important role in malaria transmission and can be used as a malariometric for the stratification of districts destined for malaria elimination.

Anopheles rufipes implicated in malaria transmission both indoors and outdoors alongside Anopheles funestus and Anopheles arabiensis in rural south-east Zambia

BackgroundThe primary malaria vector-control interventions, indoor residual spraying and long-lasting insecticidal nets, are effective against indoor biting and resting mosquito species. Consequently, outdoor biting and resting malaria vectors might elude the primary interventions and sustain malaria transmission. Varied vector biting and resting behaviour calls for robust entomological surveillance. This study investigated the bionomics of malaria vectors in rural south-east Zambia, focusing on species composition, their resting and host-seeking behaviour and sporozoite infection rates.MethodsThe study was conducted in Nyimba District, Zambia. Randomly selected households served as sentinel houses for monthly collection of mosquitoes indoors using CDC-light traps (CDC-LTs) and pyrethrum spray catches (PSC), and outdoors using only CDC-LTs for 12 months. Mosquitoes were identified using morphological taxonomic keys. Specimens belonging to the Anopheles gambiae complex and Anopheles funestus group were further identified using molecular techniques. Plasmodium falciparum sporozoite infection was determined using sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.ResultsFrom 304 indoor and 257 outdoor light trap-nights and 420 resting collection, 1409 female Anopheles species mosquitoes were collected and identified morphologically; An. funestus (n = 613; 43.5%), An. gambiae sensu lato (s.l.)(n = 293; 20.8%), Anopheles pretoriensis (n = 282; 20.0%), Anopheles maculipalpis (n = 130; 9.2%), Anopheles rufipes (n = 55; 3.9%), Anopheles coustani s.l. (n = 33; 2.3%), and Anopheles squamosus (n = 3, 0.2%). Anopheles funestus sensu stricto (s.s.) (n = 144; 91.1%) and Anopheles arabiensis (n = 77; 77.0%) were the dominant species within the An. funestus group and An. gambiae complex, respectively. Overall, outdoor CDC-LTs captured more Anopheles mosquitoes (mean = 2.25, 95% CI 1.22–3,28) than indoor CDC-LTs (mean = 2.13, 95% CI 1.54–2.73). Fewer resting mosquitoes were collected with PSC (mean = 0.44, 95% CI 0.24–0.63). Sporozoite infectivity rates for An. funestus, An. arabiensis and An. rufipes were 2.5%, 0.57% and 9.1%, respectively. Indoor entomological inoculation rates (EIRs) for An. funestus s.s, An. arabiensis and An. rufipes were estimated at 4.44, 1.15 and 1.20 infectious bites/person/year respectively. Outdoor EIRs for An. funestus s.s. and An. rufipes at 7.19 and 4.31 infectious bites/person/year, respectively.ConclusionThe findings of this study suggest that An. rufipes may play an important role in malaria transmission alongside An. funestus s.s. and An. arabiensis in the study location.Graphical

Hubungan Kepadatan Parasit Terhadap Kadar Hemoglobin Pada Penderita Malaria Asimtomatik Di Gunung Sari

Malaria is an infectious disease that still provides a high morbidity rate in the world. Malaria affects almost all blood components, one of which is hemoglobin levels. In malaria infection, there is a decrease in hemoglobin levels due to the destruction of excessive red blood cells by the malaria parasite. Asymptomatic malaria infection plays an important role in malaria transmission as it is a major influence on ongoing treatment-based malaria control programs. The research objective in this study was to know the effects of parasite density on hemoglobin levels in patients with Asymptomatic Malaria disease in Gunung Sari. The research study used is an analytic observational study with a Cross-Sectional approach with the Accidental sampling method and the Consecutive sampling method. The result of the study is out of the 14 samples diagnosed with asymptomatic malaria, 12 people (85.7%) had a mild degree of parasitemia based on parasite density calculations (8-800 / μl), and 2 people (14.3%) had moderate degrees of parasitemia (801- 8800 / μl). As many as 6 people (42.9%) had normal Hb levels, and 8 people (57.1%) had Hb levels below normal values. The conclusion of this study proved that there is a significant correlation between parasite density and hemoglobin levels in asymptomatic malaria patients in Gunung Sari.

LSTM based prediction of malaria abundances using big data

Malaria prevails in subtropical countries where health monitoring facilities are minimal. Time series prediction models are required to forecast malaria and minimize the effect of this disease on the population. This study proposes a novel scalable framework to predict the instances of malaria in selected geographical locations. Satellite data and clinical data, along with a long short-term memory (LSTM) classifier, were used to predict malaria abundances in the state of Telangana, India. The proposed model provided a 12 months seasonal pattern for selected regions in the state. Each region had different responses based on environmental factors. Analysis indicated that both environmental and clinical variables play an important role in malaria transmission. In conclusion, the Apache Spark-based LSTM presents an effective strategy to identify locations of endemic malaria.

Investigating climate suitability conditions for malaria transmission and impacts of climate variability on mosquito survival in the humid tropical region: a case study of Obafemi Awolowo University Campus, Ile-Ife, south-western Nigeria.

This study investigated impacts of climate variability on mosquito survival at Obafemi Awolowo University Campus, Ile-Ife, south-western Nigeria, and determined the regional climate suitability level for malaria transmission between 1996 and 2015. It employed some established climate-dependent models to simulate daily mosquito survival probabilities, p and a fuzzy logic suitability (FLS) model to determine the suitability conditions for malaria transmission across seasons. Multivariate regression analysis and lag correlation up to 4 months were performed to examine contributions of climate variation to the reported malaria cases. Results revealed that mosquitoes could survive all-year round with p values ranging between 0.40 and 0.96 under the prevailing mean climate. However, the climate suitability level for transmission of malaria was 'moderate' (0.45 < p ≤ 0.60) in the dry season but 'very high' (0.75 < p ≤ 0.96) in the wet. Rainfall was found to be the best predictor (r = 0.7, R2 = 0.448, p < 0.05) and no significant time-delay effect was noticed between climatic variables and malaria occurrence except for wind speed at 1-month lag. About 61% (multiple R2= 0.613 at p = 0.1) of monthly variations in reported malaria cases were accounted for by climate variability. Further probe revealed that non-climatic factors such as behavioural and socio-cultural status of the students' population played a very important role in malaria transmission and occurrence. The findings suggested that effective malaria control and interventions must integrate the crucial roles of both climatic and non-climatic factors in the study area.

Infection of Anopheles aquasalis from symptomatic and asymptomatic Plasmodium vivax infections in Manaus, western Brazilian Amazon

BackgroundAsymptomatic individuals are one of the major challenges for malaria elimination programs in endemic areas. In the absence of clinical symptoms and with a lower parasite density they constitute silent reservoirs considered important for maintaining transmission of human malaria. Studies from Brazil have shown that infected individuals may carry these parasites for long periods.ResultsPatients were selected from three periurban endemic areas of the city of Manaus, in the western Brazilian Amazon. Symptomatic and asymptomatic patients with positive thick blood smear and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) positive for Plasmodium vivax were invited to participate in the study. A standardised pvs25 gene amplification by qPCR was used for P. vivax gametocytes detection. Anopheles aquasalis were fed using membrane feeding assays (MFA) containing blood from malaria patients. Parasitemia of 42 symptomatic and 25 asymptomatic individuals was determined by microscopic examination of blood smears and qPCR. Parasitemia density and gametocyte density were assessed as determinants of infection rates and oocysts densities. A strong correlation between gametocyte densities (microscopy and molecular techniques) and mosquito infectivity (P < 0.001) and oocysts median numbers (P < 0.05) was found in both groups. The ability to infect mosquitoes was higher in the symptomatic group (41%), but infectivity in the asymptomatic group was also seen (1.42%).ConclusionsAlthough their infectivity to mosquitoes is relatively low, given the high prevalence of P. vivax asymptomatic carriers they are likely to play and important role in malaria transmission in the city of Manaus. The role of asymptomatic infections therefore needs to be considered in future malaria elimination programs in Brazil.

What does not kill it makes it weaker: effects of sub-lethal concentrations of ivermectin on the locomotor activity of Anopheles aquasalis

BackgroundMalaria remains a major public health concern. Vector control measures based solely on insecticide treated nets (ITNs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS) have demonstrated not to be feasible for malaria elimination. It has been shown that ivermectin affects several aspects of Anopheles species biology. Along the Latin American seacoast, Anopheles aquasalis Curry plays an important role in malaria transmission. The observation of mosquitoes locomotor activity under laboratory conditions can reveal details of their daily activity rhythms, which is controlled by an endogenous circadian clock that seems to be influenced by external signals, such as light and temperature. In this study, we assessed basal locomotor activity and the effects of ivermectin on locomotor activity of the American malaria vector, An. aquasalis.MethodsAdult females of Anopheles aquasalis used in experiments were three to five days post-emergence. Blood from one single subject was used to provide mosquito meals by membrane feeding assays. Powdered ivermectin compound was used to achieve different concentrations of drug as previously described. Fully engorged mosquitoes were individually placed into glass tubes and provided with 10% sucrose. Each tube was placed into a Locomotor Activity Monitor (LAM). The LAMs were kept inside an incubator under a constant temperature and a 12:12 h light:dark cycle. The average locomotor activity was calculated as the mean number of movements performed per mosquito in the period considered. Intervals of time assessed were adapted from a previous study. One-way ANOVA tests were performed in order to compare means between groups. Additionally, Dunnett’s method was used for post-hoc pairwise means comparisons between each group and control. Stata software version 13 was used for the analysis.ResultsAnopheles aquasalis showed a nocturnal and bimodal pattern for mosquitoes fed both control blood meals and sub-lethal concentrations of ivermectin. In this species, activity peaks occurred at the beginning of the photophase and scotophase in the control group. The nocturnal activity is evident and higher just after the evening peak and maintains basal levels of locomotion throughout the scotophase. In the entire group analysis, locomotor activity means of experimental sets were significantly lower than control for each period of time evaluated. In the survival group, the locomotor activity means of all treatment sets were lower than control mosquitoes for all intervals of time when both the whole period and scotophase were assessed. When the middle of scotophase was evaluated, means were significantly lower for LC15 and LC25, but not LC5. For the beginning of photophase period, significant differences were detected only between control and LC5. When both the photophase and scotophase were assessed alone, no significant differences were found. Mean locomotor activity was significantly lower for dead group when compared to survival group for all experimental sets when whole period, photophase, and scotophase were assessed.ConclusionsIvermectin seems to decrease locomotor activity of An. aquasalis at sub-lethal concentrations. The effects on locomotor activity increase according at higher ivermectin concentrations and are most evident during the whole scotophase as well as in the beginning and in the end of this phase, and sub-lethal effects may still be observed in the photophase. Findings presented in this study demonstrate that sub-lethal ivermectin effects reduce mosquito locomotor activity, which could diminish vectorial capacity and therefore the malaria transmission.

Humoral Response to Anopheles maculatus and Anopheles sundaicus Salivary Gland Proteins

The salivary gland of female Anopheles mosquito has important role in malaria transmission by salivary proteins that enhancing Plasmodium transmission. The mosquito saliva contains vasomodulatory and immunomodulatory components that inhibit the physiological response of the host. Therefore, the pathogen infects the host without any resistance. The salivary proteins also induce the production of antibody IgG in the host after exposed by the Anopheles mosquito bites repeatedly. This study aims to measured the antibody response of inhabitants living in malaria endemic areas (Kalirejo viilages, Kokap, Kulonprogo) to salivary gland proteins of An. maculatus and An.sundaicus. The level of antibody response was measured by ELISA and analyzed with T test or Anova test for normal distribution of data and Mann Whitney test or Kruskal Wallis test for the data were not normally distributed. The result showed that the level of anti-salivary gland homogenate IgG from sera of people living in malaria endemic area was significantly higher than people living in non-malaria endemic area and negative control (p&lt;0.05). Sera from inhabitants living in Kalirejo village showed that the level of antibody response to both salivary gland homogenate of An.sundaicus and An.maculatus were not significantly different (p&lt;0.05). It was concluded that exposure to An.maculatus and An.sundaicus bites repeatedly could trigger the production of anti-salivary gland proteins IgG antibodies that recognized antigenic proteins from the salivary glands.

The silent threat: asymptomatic parasitemia and malaria transmission

Scale-up of malaria control interventions has resulted in a substantial decline in global malaria morbidity and mortality. Despite this achievement, there is evidence that current interventions alone will not lead to malaria elimination in most malaria-endemic areas and additional strategies need to be considered. Use of antimalarial drugs to target the reservoir of malaria infection is an option to reduce the transmission of malaria between humans and mosquito vectors. However, a large proportion of human malaria infections are asymptomatic, requiring treatment that is not triggered by care-seeking for clinical illness. This article reviews the evidence that asymptomatic malaria infection plays an important role in malaria transmission and that interventions to target this parasite reservoir may be needed to achieve malaria elimination in both low- and high-transmission areas.

Anopheles culicifacies sibling species in Odisha, eastern India: First appearance of Anopheles culicifacies E and its vectorial role in malaria transmission

To identify the Anopheles culicifacies sibling species complex and study their vectorial role in malaria endemic regions of Odisha. Mosquitoes were collected from 6 malaria endemic districts using standard entomological collection methods. An.culicifacies sibling species were identified by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using cytochrome oxidase subunit II (COII) region of mitochondrial DNA. Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) sporozoite rate and human blood fed percentage (HBF) were estimated by PCR using Pf- and human-specific primers. Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis were performed to confirm the type of sibling species of An.culicifacies found in Odisha. Multiplex PCR detected An.culicifacies sibling species A, B, C, D and E in the malaria endemic regions of Odisha. An.culicifacies E was detected for the first time in Odisha, which was further confirmed by molecular phylogenetics. Highest sporozoite rate and HBF percentage were observed in An.culicifacies E in comparison with other sibling species. An.culicifacies E collected from Nawarangapur, Nuapara and Keonjhar district showed high HBF percentage and sporozoite rates. An.culicifacies B was the most abundant species, followed by An.culicifacies C and E. High sporozoite rate and HBF of An.culicifacies E indicated that it plays an important role in malaria transmission in Odisha. Appropriate control measures against An.culicifacies E at an early stage are needed to prevent further malaria transmission in Odisha.

Anopheles (Cellia) maculatus group: Its spatial distribution and molecular characterization of member species in north-east India

Anopheles (Cellia) maculatus is considered a group of at least nine formally named species. Faced with the difficulty of correct morphological identification due to overlapping characters, several member species of the An. maculatus group are known to play important role in malaria transmission in the Oriental region. Current assemblage, distribution and vectorial importance of the member species within the Maculatus group is far from clear in the north-eastern region of India. Our study encompassing 410 individuals, collected from 67 geo-referenced spots across the eight north-east Indian states, identified the presence of 6 member species of the Maculatus group using the molecular tools. Anopheles dravidicus and Anopheles rampae were documented for the first time in this part of India with latter forming the new country record. While Anopheles pseudowillmori (59.5%) and An. maculatus (32%) were widely available species in most of the north-eastern states, restricted distribution of Anopheles willmori to Nagaland and that of Anopheles sawadwongporni and An. rampae to Mizoram state was noted. None of the species was found positive for human malaria parasite. While no intraspecific differences existed in the sequences of second internal transcribed spacer (ITS2) region of ribosomal DNA (r-DNA) of the member species of the Maculatus group within north-east India, few differences were detected in the sequences of An. dravidicus, An. maculatus and An. pseudowillmori from north-east India with species from the neighbouring countries.

Composition of Human Skin Microbiota Affects Attractiveness to Malaria Mosquitoes

The African malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto continues to play an important role in malaria transmission, which is aggravated by its high degree of anthropophily, making it among the foremost vectors of this disease. In the current study we set out to unravel the strong association between this mosquito species and human beings, as it is determined by odorant cues derived from the human skin. Microbial communities on the skin play key roles in the production of human body odour. We demonstrate that the composition of the skin microbiota affects the degree of attractiveness of human beings to this mosquito species. Bacterial plate counts and 16S rRNA sequencing revealed that individuals that are highly attractive to An. gambiae s.s. have a significantly higher abundance, but lower diversity of bacteria on their skin than individuals that are poorly attractive. Bacterial genera that are correlated with the relative degree of attractiveness to mosquitoes were identified. The discovery of the connection between skin microbial populations and attractiveness to mosquitoes may lead to the development of new mosquito attractants and personalized methods for protection against vectors of malaria and other infectious diseases.

Topography as a modifier of breeding habitats and concurrent vulnerability to malaria risk in the western Kenya highlands

BackgroundTopographic parameters such as elevation, slope, aspect, and ruggedness play an important role in malaria transmission in the highland areas. They affect biological systems, such as larval habitats presence and productivity for malaria mosquitoes. This study investigated whether the distribution of local spatial malaria vectors and risk of infection with malaria parasites in the highlands is related to topography.MethodsFour villages each measuring 9 Km2 lying between 1400-1700 m above sea level in the western Kenya highlands were categorized into a pair of broad and narrow valley shaped terrain sites. Larval, indoor resting adult malaria vectors and infection surveys were collected originating from the valley bottom and ending at the hilltop on both sides of the valley during the rainy and dry seasons. Data collected at a distance of ≤500 m from the main river/stream were categorized as valley bottom and those above as uphill. Larval surveys were categorized by habitat location while vectors and infections by house location.ResultsOverall, broad flat bottomed valleys had a significantly higher number of anopheles larvae/dip in their habitats than in narrow valleys during both the dry (1.89 versus 0.89 larvae/dip) and the rainy season (1.66 versus 0.89 larvae/dip). Similarly, vector adult densities/house in broad valley villages were higher than those within narrow valley houses during both the dry (0.64 versus 0.40) and the rainy season (0.96 versus 0.09). Asymptomatic malaria prevalence was significantly higher in participants residing within broad than those in narrow valley villages during the dry (14.55% vs. 7.48%) and rainy (17.15% vs. 1.20%) season. Malaria infections were wide spread in broad valley villages during both the dry and rainy season, whereas over 65% of infections were clustered at the valley bottom in narrow valley villages during both seasons.ConclusionDespite being in the highlands, local areas within low gradient topography characterized by broad valley bottoms have stable and significantly high malaria risk unlike those with steep gradient topography, which exhibit seasonal variations. Topographic parameters could therefore be considered in identification of high-risk malaria foci to help enhance surveillance or targeted control activities in regions where they are most needed.

Environmental, entomological, socioeconomic and behavioural risk factors for malaria attacks in Amerindian children of Camopi, French Guiana

BackgroundMalaria is a major health issue in French Guiana. Amerindian communities remain the most affected. A previous study in Camopi highlighted the predominant role of environmental factors in the occurrence of malaria. However, all parameters involved in the transmission were not clearly identified. A new survey was conducted in order to clarify the risk factors for the presence of malaria cases in Camopi.MethodsAn open cohort of children under seven years of age was set up on the basis of biologically confirmed malaria cases for the period 2001-2009. Epidemiological and observational environmental data were collected using two structured questionnaires. Data were analysed with a multiple failures multivariate Cox model. The influence of climate and the river level on malaria incidence was evaluated by time-series analysis. Relationships between Anopheles darlingi human biting rates and malaria incidence rates were estimated using Spearman's rank correlation.ResultsThe global annual incidence over the nine-year period was 238 per 1,000 for Plasmodium falciparum, 514 per 1,000 for Plasmodium visa and 21 per 1,000 for mixed infections. The multivariate survival analysis associated higher malaria incidence with living on the Camopi riverside vs. the Oyapock riverside, far from the centre of the Camopi hamlet, in a home with numerous occupants and going to sleep late. On the contrary, living in a house cleared of all vegetation within 50 m and at high distance of the forest were associated with a lower risk. Meteorological and hydrological characteristics appeared to be correlated with malaria incidence with different lags. Anopheles darlingi human biting rate was also positively correlated to incident malaria in children one month later.ConclusionsMalaria incidence in children remains high in young children despite the appearance of immunity in children around three years of age. The closeness environment but also the meteorological parameters play an important role in malaria transmission among children under seven years of age in Camopi.

Malaria Vector Surveillance in Ganghwa-do, a Malaria-Endemic Area in the Republic of Korea

We investigated the seasonality of Anopheles mosquitoes, including its species composition, density, parity, and population densities of mosquitoes infected with the parasite in Ganghwa-do (Island), a vivax malaria endemic area in the Republic of Korea. Mosquitoes were collected periodically with a dry-ice-tent trap and a blacklight trap during the mosquito season (April-October) in 2008. Anopheles sinensis (94.9%) was the most abundant species collected, followed by Anopheles belenrae (3.8%), Anopheles pullus (1.2%), and Anopheles lesteri (0.1%). Hibernating Anopheles mosquitoes were also collected from December 2007 to March 2008. An. pullus (72.1%) was the most frequently collected, followed by An. sinensis (18.4%) and An. belenrae (9.5%). The composition of Anopheles species differed between the mosquito season and hibernation seasons. The parous rate fluctuated from 0% to 92.9%, and the highest rate was recorded on 10 September 2008. Sporozoite infections were detected by PCR in the head and thorax of female Anopheles mosquitoes. The annual sporozoite rate of mosquitoes was 0.11% (2 of 1,845 mosquitoes). The 2 mosquitoes that tested positive for sporozoites were An. sinensis. Malarial infections in anopheline mosquitoes from a population pool were also tried irrespective of the mosquito species. Nine of 2,331 pools of Anopheles mosquitoes were positive. From our study, it can be concluded that An. sinensis, which was the predominant vector species and confirmed as sporozoite-infected, plays an important role in malaria transmission in Ganghwa-do.

Pattern of mitochondrial DNA variation between and within Anopheles stephensi (Diptera: Culicidae) biological forms suggests extensive gene flow

Anopheles stephensi Liston is the most prevalent anopheline species and plays an important role in malaria transmission in Indian subcontinent and Middle East including southern parts of Iran. It exists as three biological forms; “type”, “intermediate”, and variety mysorensis. The type form is reported to be an efficient vector of urban malaria, whereas mysorensis and intermediate are considered to be rural species and poor vectors. Moreover, differences in cuticular hydrocarbon and chromosomal characters have been described between urban and rural forms. However, the genetic structure of the biological forms remains unclear. This study was conducted to determine the genetic structure of the An. stephensi biological forms in south of Iran where all three forms are present. Live specimens were collected from the field and transferred to insectaries, reared, and identified based on egg morphological characters. Genetic structure of the biological forms was studied using PCR-RFLP of 1512 bp of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) cytochrome oxidase subunit I and II (COI–COII) and sequence of about 712 bp of COI and 562 bp of COII genes. Sequence analysis showed that except for a few substitutions in COII, all three forms and populations were nearly identical. The high homology of COI and COII sequence of An. stephensi forms indicates extensive gene flow between populations and forms in the region. This data will serve as first report on the sequence of mDNA COI–COII of biological forms of An. stephensi, which could be used as a diagnostic tool to identify vector/non-vector, gene flow, and geographical exchanges.

RE-EMERGENCE OF ANOPHELES FUNESTUS AND ITS POSSIBLE EFFECT ON MALARIA TRANSMISSION ON MAYOTTE ISLAND, INDIAN OCEAN

Malaria constitutes a major public health problem on Mayotte Island, with the major vector being Anopheles gambiae s.s. The seeming disappearance of An. funestus, the 2nd vector on the island, was observed 15 years ago. Now, the presence of An. funestus during the biting collections performed in November and December 2004 confirms the re-emergence of this vector, which plays an important role in malaria transmission with An. gambiae.

Malaria transmission and major malaria vectors in different geographical areas of Southeast Asia.

During the last decade, major progress in malaria control has been achieved in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. However, malaria is still a potentially fatal disease in some hilly-forested areas and continues to be endemic in a few coastal foci. To estimate the risk that stems from the major vectors after a decade of intensive malaria control, an entomological study based on human landing collections was conducted between April 1998 and November 2000 in six study villages (four in Vietnam, one in Cambodia and one in Laos) located in different physio-geographical areas. Five villages were selected in places where new cases of malaria still occurred. In the sixth village, in the northern hilly area of Vietnam, no case of malaria was detected during the past 3 years. In three study villages of the hilly forested areas of Cambodia and central Vietnam, Anopheles dirus A still played an important role in malaria transmission and maintain perennial transmission inside the villages despite its low density. Anopheles minimus A was found in all study villages except in the southern coastal village of Vietnam. Its role in malaria transmission, however, varied between localities and surveys. In one study village of central Vietnam it was almost absent (one specimen collected over 480 man nights), and in another village sporozoite positive specimens (2.8%) were only observed during the first two surveys whereas this species disappeared from the collections from November 1998 onwards (six surveys: 360 man nights). In the northern study site An. minimus A and C were found in all collections, but no local malaria transmission occurred. However, the constant presence of these two species associated with a high longevity (parous rate up around 80% and 65%, respectively), suggests that transmission can occur at almost any time if parasite reservoirs are reintroduced in the area. The proper management of malaria cases and population movement is, therefore, important to prevent outbreaks and the reintroduction of malaria in northern Vietnam. In the study site of the Mekong delta, An. sundaicus occurred at high densities (up to 190 bites/man/night). The recent changes in land use from rice cultivation to shrimp farming probably explains the increase of this brackish water breeding species during the study period. However, none of the 11,002 specimens was positive for Plasmodium circumsporozoite protein (CSP). The relative low survival rate as estimated by the parous rate (around 47%) may reflect its low vectorial status that could explain the very low malaria incidence (1.9 case/100 persons/year) in this study site. A calculated sporozoite rate of maximum 1/300,000 is enough to explain this low malaria incidence. Despite the successes in malaria control, the vector An. dirus A continues to play an important role in malaria transmission, whereas An. minimus A showed temporal and spatial variation in its role as vector. The role of An. sundaicus as vector could not be confirmed because of the low incidence in the coastal study village. Other Anopheles species may be locally involved, but in the five study villages where malaria is still present they probably do not contribute significantly to malaria transmission. The study also points towards the fact that in Southeast Asia it will become increasingly difficult to incriminate Anopheles species in malaria transmission while the risk for malaria transmission still persist.

Malaria vectors in the municipality of Serra do Navio, State of Amapá, Amazon Region, Brazil.

We conducted a survey to determine the vectors of malaria in six localities of Serra do Navio municipality, State of Amapá, from 1990 to 1991. Malaria infection rates of 29.3%, 6.2% and 20.4% were detected by human blood smears in Colônia Agua Branca, Porto Terezinha and Arrependido, respectively. There was no malaria infection detected in Serra do Navio. Fifteen species were identified among 3,053 anopheline mosquitoes collected by human bait and 64.4% were identified as Anopheles albitarsis s.l., 16.7% An. braziliensis, 9.5% An. nuneztovari and 5.8% An. triannulatus. An. darlingi, the main vector of malaria in the Amazon region of Brazil, was scare. Using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), a total positive rate of 0.8% (23/2876) was found for six species: fifteen An. albitarsis s.l., four An. nuneztovari, and one of each: An. braziliensis, An. triannulatus, An. oswaldoi and An. rangeli. Nine of 23 positive mosquitoes were infected with Plasmodium malariae, eight with P. vivax VK210, three with P. vivax VK247 and three with P. falciparum. Since An. albitarsis s.l. was collected feeding on humans, was present in the highest density and was positive by ELISA for malaria sporozoites, it probably plays an important role in malaria transmission in this area.

The role of four anopheline species (Diptera: Culicidae) in malaria transmission in coastal Tanzania

Malaria is holoendemic in coastal Tanzania with Anopheles funestus and members of the A. gambiae complex being mainly responsible for transmission. Over a 4 months' sampling period 2222 anopheline mosquitoes were collected using light-traps and indoor resting catches, of which 58·6% were A. gambiae, 7·6% A. arabiensis, 6·9% A. merus and 26·9% A. funestus. Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite antigen (CSA) rates were: A. funestus 6·05% ( n = 479), A. gambiae 8·4% ( n = 1042), A. arabiensis 7·3% ( n = 136) and A. merus 9·8% ( n = 122). The P. malariae CSA rate for all anophelines was 0·07% ( n = 1862). Estimated sporozoite densities were less than 2000 for at least 50% of all the positive mosquitoes. Along the coast the abundance of A. merus (41·3%) and A. gambiae (46·1%) was similar, and their CSA rates were comparable (11·6% and 12·5%, respectively) and higher than those for A. arabiensis (7·7%) and A. funestus (4·6%). These results indicate that A. merus plays an unexpectedly important role in malaria transmission in coastal Tanzania.