Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-tj2md Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-18T13:09:37.768Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Density independent feeding success of malaria vectors (Diptera: Culicidae) in Tanzania

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

J.D. Charlwood ,
T. Smith ,
J. Kihonda ,
B. Heiz ,
P.F. Billingsley  and
W. Takken
J.D. Charlwood
Affiliation:
Ifakara Centre, Tanzania
T. Smith*
Affiliation:
Ifakara Centre, Tanzania & Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, Swiss Tropical Institute, Basel, Switzerland
J. Kihonda
Affiliation:
Ifakara Centre, Tanzania
B. Heiz
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, Swiss Tropical Institute, Basel, Switzerland
P.F. Billingsley
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, UK
W. Takken
Affiliation:
Department of Entomology, Wageningen Agricultural University, The Netherlands
*
Dr. T Smith, Dept. Public Health & Epidemiology, Swiss Tropical Institute, PO Box, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The possibility of density dependent feeding success in the African malaria vectors Anopheles gambiae Giles (sensu lato) and A. funestus Giles was investigated by examining the gonotrophic status of mosquitoes from 423 collections made in a Tanzanian village. Up to 500 mosquitoes were caught in any single 35 minute indoor resting collection. Estimates of the total numbers of mosquitoes resting were made by removal sampling. These indicated that the efficiency of resting collections decreased with increasing mosquito population. Of 1904 mosquito blood meals tested by ELISA, 95% were of human origin. There was no decrease in the proportion of mosquitoes fully fed at high population densities and the only demonstrable avoiding action by hosts in response to high densities of mosquitoes was the increased use of bednets during the wet season. The late biting cycle of these mosquitoes precludes many other density-dependent host defence mechanisms because the hosts are asleep at the time of attack. African malaria vectors have evolved with man and perhaps their evasion of density-dependent host responses has reinforced their preference for human blood.

Type
Research Article
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 85 , Issue 1 , March 1995 , pp. 29 - 35
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Beier, J.C., Perkins, P.V., Wirtz, R.A., Koros, J., Diggs, D., Gargan, T.P. & Koech, D.K. (1988) Bloodmeal identification by direct enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), tested on Anopheles (Diptera: Culicidae) in Kenya. Journal of Medical Entomology 25, 9–16.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Birley, M.H. & Charlwood, J.D. (1987) Sporozoite rate and malaria prevalence. Parasitology Today 3, 231–232.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Charlwood, J.D. & Alecrim, W. (1989) Capture-recapture exper-iments with Anopheles darlingi in Rondonia, Brasil. Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology 86, 569–576.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Charlwood, J.D., Dagaro, H. & Paru, R. (1985) Blood-feeding and resting behaviour in the Anopheles punctulatus Donitz complex (Diptera: Culicidae) from coastal Papua New Guinea. Bulletin of Entomological Research 75, 463–475.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Charlwood, J.D., Graves, P.M. & Alpers, M. (1986a) The ecology of the Anopheles punctulatus group of mosquitoes from Papua New Guinea: a review of recent work. Papua New Guinea Medical Journal 29, 19–27.Google ScholarPubMed
Charlwood, J.D., Paru, R., Dagaro, H. & Lagog, M. (1986b) The influence of moonlight and gonotrophic age on the biting activity of Anopheles farauti (Diptera: Culicidae) from Papua New Guinea. Journal of Medical Entomology 23, 313–320.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Charlwood, J.D. & Wilkes, T.J. (1981) Observations on the biting activity of Anopheles triannulatus bachmanni from the Mato Grosso, Brasil. Acta Amazonica 11, 411–413.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Edman, J.D. & Kale, H.W., II (1970) Host behaviour: its influence on the feeding success of mosquitoes. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 64, 513–516.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Edman, J.D. & Scott, T.W. (1987) Host defensive behaviour and the feeding success of mosquitoes. Insect Science and its Application 8, 617–622.Google Scholar
Edman, J.D., Webber, L.A. & Kale, H.W., II (1972) Effect of mosquito density on the interrelationship of host behaviour and mosquito feeding success. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiëne 21, 487–491.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Edman, J.D., Webber, L.A. & Schmid, A.A. (1984) Effect of host defenses on the feeding pattern of Culex nigripalpus when offered a choice of blood sources. Journal of Parasitology 60, 874–883.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gillies, M.T. & de Meillon, B. (1968) Anophelinae of Africa south of the Sahara, (Ethiopian Zoogeographical Regiem) 2nd edn.Johannesburg, Publication of the South African Institute for Medical Research no. 54.Google Scholar
Gillies, M.T. & Wilkes, T.J. (1965) A study of the age composition of populations of Anopheles gambiae Giles and A. funestus Giles in north-eastern Tanzania. Bulletin of Entomological Research 56, 237–262.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kilombero Malaria Project (1992) The level of anti-sporozoite antibodies in a highly endemic malaria area and its relationship with exposure to mosquitoes. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 86, 499–504.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Klowden, M.J. & Lea, A.O. (1979) Effect of defensive host behaviour on the blood meal size and feeding success of natural populations of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae). Journal of Medical Entomology 15, 514–517.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lindsay, S.W., Adiamah, H.A. & Armstrong, J.R.M. (1992) The effect of permethrin-impregnated bednets on house entry by mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in The Gambia. Bulletin of Entomological Research 82, 49–55.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McCullagh, P. & Nelder, J.A. (1989) Generalized linear models. London, Chapman and Hall.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Randolf, S.E., Williams, B.G., Rogers, D.J. & Connor, H. (1992) Modelling the effect of feeding-related mortality on the feeding strategy of tsetse (Diptera: Glossinidae). Medical and Veterinary Entomology 6, 231–240.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sella, M. (1920) Relazione della campagna antianofelica di Fiumiciono (1919) con speciale riguardo alla biologia delgi anofeli ed agli anofeli infetti. Annali di Igiene 30, Supplemento85.Google Scholar
Smith, T., Charlwood, J.D., Kihonda, J., Mwankusye, S., Billingsley, P., Meuwissen, J., Lyimo, E., Takken, W., Teuscher, T. & Tanner, M. (1993) Absence of seasonal variation in malaria parasitaemia in an area of intense seasonal transmission. Acta Tropica 54, 55–72.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Southwood, T.R.E. (1978) Ecological methods. 524 pp. London, Chapman and Hall.Google Scholar
Tanner, M., De Savigny, D., Mayombana, C., Hatz, C., Burnier, E., Tayari, S. & Degrémont, A. (1991) Morbidity and mortality at Kilombero, Tanzania, 1982–88. pp. 286–305 In: Feachem, R.G. & Jamison, D.T. (Eds) Disease and Mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa. Oxford, Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Teuscher, T. (1993) Household-based malaria control in a highly endemic area of Africa (Tanzania): determinants of transmission and disease and indicates for monitoring—Kilombero malaria project. Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz 87, Suppl. III, 121–130.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Walker, E.D. & Edman, J.D. (1986) Influence of defensive behaviour of eastern chipmunks and grey squirrels (Rodentia: Sciuridae) on feeding success of Aedes triseriatus (Diptera: Culicidae). Journal of Medical Entomology 23, 1–10.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed