title: Modeling the seasonality of Anopheles gambiae s.s. biting rates in a South Benin sanitary zone.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Efficient malaria vector control requires knowledge of spatio-temporal vector dynamics. We have classified village groups according to the biting rate profiles of both Anopheles coluzzii and An. gambiae, the major malaria vectors in these villages.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mosquitoes were captured by human bait in 28 South Benin villages during 2009. Both An. coluzzii and An. gambiae counts in each village were standardized to focus on changes in the vector biting rate over time. Latent class trajectory modeling, allowing for random intercept at the 'village' level, was adjusted to standardized values.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The villages could be classified into two groups with distinct vector biting rate profiles (continuous/transient). This classification helped creating a map of vector biting rates in the area. The biting rate profiles were found to be significantly correlated with mean rainfall, altitude, average number of larval sites, and average normalized difference vegetation index.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In highly malaria-prone regions, knowledge of vector biting rate profiles is important to improve vector control interventions. A similar methodology may be applied to study the biting rate profiles of other vector-borne infections.
authors.affiliation: International Chair in Mathematical Physics and Applications, Laboratoire d'Etude et de Recherche en Statistique Appliquée et Modélisation, Université d'Abomey-Calavi, Abomey-Calavi, Bénin.
authors.forename: Olayidé
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Boussari
authors.forename: Fabien
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Subtil
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Moiroux
authors.forename: Armel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Djènontin
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Iwaz
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Corbel
authors.forename: Noël
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fonton
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.forename: Jean-François
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Etard
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ecochard
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000852:Anopheles / Q000502:physiology*; D001541:Benin / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007299:Insect Bites and Stings / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008288:Malaria / Q000635:transmission*; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009032:Mosquito Control / Q000379:methods; D012621:Seasons
keywords: Anopheles gambiae s.s.; Biting rate; Classification; Latent trajectory modeling; Malaria vectors; South Benin