title: Spatial analysis of malaria transmission parameters in the rice cultivation area of Office du Niger, Mali.
abstract: The effects of rice growth environment on malaria transmission, taking into account spatial correlation, were assessed in the Office du Niger, Mali. Between April 1999 to January 2001, 8 quarterly entomologic surveys were conducted in 18 villages in 3 agricultural zones. Vector densities in sleeping houses were related to rice crop, rice development stages, vegetation abundance, water state, and seasons. They were high throughout the rice-growing seasons, increased as the rice crop developed, and decreased as vegetation became abundant. They also showed large spatial correlations (up to 30.6 km). The vectorial capacity exhibited both seasonal and village-to-village variation. Parity and the human blood index were weakly related to adult densities and showed low spatial correlations (up to 3.4 km), which suggested that small area variation in malaria transmission results mainly from variations in vector-human contact. Control strategies in rice cultivation areas should pay attention to this local variation.
authors.affiliation: Malaria Research and Training Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bamako, Bamako, Mali. n.sogoba@unibas.ch
authors.forename: Nafomon
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sogoba
authors.forename: Penelope
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vounatsou
authors.forename: Seydou
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Doumbia
authors.forename: Magaran
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bagayoko
authors.forename: Mahamadou B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Touré
authors.forename: Ibrahim M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Sissoko
authors.forename: Sekou F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Traore
authors.forename: Yéya T
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Touré
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture; D000818:Animals; D000852:Anopheles / Q000469:parasitology*; D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000254:growth & development; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000469:parasitology*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008288:Malaria / Q000469:parasitology / Q000635:transmission*; D008302:Mali; D012275:Oryza / Q000254:growth & development*; D010961:Plasmodium / Q000254:growth & development*; D012424:Rural Population; D012621:Seasons