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.
Temu
E A
EA
Department of Tropical Diseases, School of Pathology, South African Institute for Medical Research, Johannesburg, South Africa. entosa-fr@global.co.za
Minjas
J N
JN
Coetzee
M
M
Hunt
R H
RH
Shift
C J
CJ
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