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.
Department of Tropical Diseases, School of Pathology, South African Institute for Medical Research, Johannesburg, South Africa. entosa-fr@global.co.za
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D000818:Animals; D000852:Anopheles / Q000469:parasitology*; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000032:analysis*; D016782:Apicomplexa / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D007303:Insect Vectors; D008288:Malaria / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000635:transmission*; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000635:transmission; D016780:Malaria, Vivax / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000635:transmission; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010965:Plasmodium malariae / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010966:Plasmodium vivax / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011528:Protozoan Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology; D013636:Tanzania / Q000453:epidemiology
D000953:Antigens, Protozoan