title: Impact of vegetable crop agriculture on anopheline agressivity and malaria transmission in urban and less urbanized settings of the South region of Cameroon.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The use of inland valley swamps for vegetable crop agriculture contributes to food security in urban and less urbanized settings in Africa. The impact of this agriculture on aggressive mosquitoes' diversity and malaria transmission in central Africa is poorly documented. This study is aimed at assessing the impact of vegetable crop agriculture on these entomological parameters in urban and less urbanized settings of the forest area, south of Cameroon.
  
  
  METHODS
  The human bait technique was used for the capture of aggressive mosquitoes from January to December 2012. For three consecutive days each month, captures were performed on volunteers in hydro-agricultural and river bank sites of Akonolinga and Yaoundé. Physico-chemical characteristics of mosquito breeding sites were recorded. Molecular alongside morpho-taxonomic techniques were used for the identification of mosquito species; ELISA test was used to reveal Plasmodium falciparum infected mosquitoes through the detection of CSP. Mosquito diversity, aggressivity and malaria transmission in sites and settings were determined and compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Biting rates were higher in hydro-agricultural sites of less urbanized and urban settings (31.8 b/p/n and 28.6 b/p/n respectively) than in river banks sites (6.83 b/p/n and 3.64 b/p/n respectively; p < 0.0001). Physico-chemical parameters of breeding sites were not fundamentally different. Five anopheline species were identified; An. gambiae, An. funestus s.s., An. moucheti s.s., An. hancocki and An. nili s.s. In hydro-agricultural sites 2 species were captured in the urban setting versus 4 in the less urbanized setting, meanwhile in river bank sites, 3 species were captured in the urban setting versus 4 species in the less urbanized setting. An. nili s.s. was found in river banks only. An. hancocki was not found to insure Plasmodium falciparum Welch transmission. EIR in hydro-agricultural sites varied from 1.86 ib/p/n (urban area) to 2.13 ib/p/n (less urbanized area) with higher rates in April/May and August. Overall, EIR was higher in less urbanized areas (p < 0.0001) but the difference was nullified with the practice of vegetable crop agriculture (p = 0.2).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results highlight the need for specific preventive measures that take into account the ecological peculiarities related to vegetable crop agriculture on hydro-agricultural lands, in order to protect inhabitants from malaria.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Animal Biology, Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Douala, P.O. Box 2701, Douala, Cameroon. patakono2000@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Patrick Ntonga
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Akono
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Animal Biology, Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Douala, P.O. Box 2701, Douala, Cameroon. mbidajean@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Jean Arthur Mbida
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Mbida
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Animal Biology, Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Douala, P.O. Box 2701, Douala, Cameroon. tofocal@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Calvin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tonga
authors.affiliation: Higher Teacher training college, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 812, Yaoundé, Cameroon. phbelong52@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Belong
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Animal Biology, Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Douala, P.O. Box 2701, Douala, Cameroon. etoileetoile10@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Odette Etoile
authors.initials: OE
authors.lastname: Ngo Hondt
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Animal Biology, Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Douala, P.O. Box 2701, Douala, Cameroon. mtgaelle@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Gaëlle Tamdem
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Magne
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Zoology, Department of Biology and Animal Physiology, Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 812, Yaoundé, Cameroon. p.marieflorence@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Marie Florence
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Peka
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Animal Biology, Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Douala, P.O. Box 2701, Douala, Cameroon. lblehman@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Leopold Gustave
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Lehman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000852:Anopheles / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000469:parasitology / Q000502:physiology*; D002163:Cameroon; D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000469:parasitology; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000469:parasitology / Q000502:physiology*; D008288:Malaria / Q000469:parasitology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission*; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology; D011157:Population Dynamics; D012621:Seasons; D014504:Urban Health; D014675:Vegetables / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000469:parasitology