Ecological characterisation and infection of Anophelines (Diptera: Culicidae) of the Atlantic Forest in the southeast of Brazil over a 10 year period: has the behaviour of the autochthonous malaria vector changed?

Abstract

BACKGROUNDIn southeastern Brazil, autochthonous cases of malaria can be found near Atlantic Forest fragments. Because the transmission cycle has not been completely clarified, the behaviour of the possible vectors in those regions must be observed. A study concerning the entomological aspects and natural infection of anophelines (Diptera: Culicidae) captured in the municipalities of the mountainous region of Espírito Santo state was performed in 2004 and 2005. Similarly, between 2014 and 2015, 12 monthly collections were performed at the same area of the study mentioned above.METHODSCenter for Disease Control (CDC) light traps with CO2 were set in open areas, at the edge and inside of the forest (canopy and ground), whereas Shannon traps were set on the edge.FINDINGSA total of 1,414 anophelines were collected from 13 species. Anopheles (Kerteszia) cruzii Dyar and Knab remained the most frequently captured species in the CDC traps set in the forest canopy, as well as being the vector with the highest prevalence of Plasmodium vivax/simium infection, according to molecular polymerase chain reaction techniques.CONCLUSIONS P. vivax/simium was found only in abdomens of the mosquitoes of the subgenus Nyssorhynchus, weakening the hypothesis that this subgenus also plays a role in malaria transmission in this specific region.

Effects of anthropogenic landscape changes on the abundance and acrodendrophily of Anopheles (Kerteszia) cruzii, the main vector of malaria parasites in the Atlantic Forest in Brazil

“…cruzii for blood feeding in the tree canopy [2, 8, 14]. Nevertheless, variations in the biting activity of this mosquito in the canopy and at ground level have been observed in different locations, and few studies have sought to understand the factors that lead to these variations [20, 22–24, 26, 54]. Investigating the vertical stratification of mosquitoes in forest areas in the northeast of the state of São Paulo, Forattini et al [20] observed differences in An.…”

“…Many studies have demonstrated that An. cruzii has acrodendrophilic behaviour although in several studies and locations this species has been observed in high density at ground level in the forest [20–24]. In locations where An.…”

Atlantic Forest Malaria: A Review of More than 20 Years of Epidemiological Investigation

“…Bromeliad-malaria is transmitted in the Atlantic Forest system by mosquitoes of the Kerteszia subgenus, with Anopheles (Kerteszia) cruzii being the most abundant [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ]. Infections can occur in hosts that are blood meal sources for the mosquitoes generally located on the top of trees because of the acrodendrophilic behavior of these insects (the tendency of certain wild species to live and preferentially feed in the canopy).…”

Estudo da dinâmica de transmissão de malária autóctone de Mata Atlântica: análise da variação na acrodendrofilia de Anopheles cruzii (Diptera: Culicidae) e desenvolvimento de modelo matemático para a transmissão zoonótica

“…Neste estudo foi testada a hipótese de que fatores associados às alterações na paisagem podem ser em parte responsáveis pela variação observada na abundância e acrodendrofilia de Variações na frequência com que An. cruzii pica na copa ou no solo tem sido observadas em diferentes locais estudados nas regiões sul e sudeste do país (Forattini, 1968;Deane et al, 1971;Guimarães et al, 1985;Ueno et al, 2007;Santos-Neto & Lozovei, 2008;Buery et al, 2018). Apesar disto, há um consenso entre os diversos estudos no que se refere à acrodendrofilia desta espécie (Deane, 1992;Forattini, 2002;Marrelli, 2007 (Rona et al, 2009;Dias et al, 2018 (Chen et al, 1995;Didham & Lawton, 1999;Ewers & Banks-Leite, 2013 (Forattini et al, 1968;Ueno et al, 2007;Bona & Navarro-Silva, 2008;Guedes & Navarro-Silva, 2014).…”

“…A possibilidade de que An. cruzii possa representar um complexo de espécies crípticas tem sido levantada por resultados obtidos em estudos populacionais com marcadores moleculares (Calado et al, 2006;Malafronte et al, 2007;Rona et al, 2012;Dias et al, 2018 (Forattini et al, 1968;Deane et al, 1984;Guimarães et al, 1985;Ueno et al, 2007;Buery et al, 2018), no entanto, dependendo do local e situação ambiental ou climática, pode picar tanto no nível do solo quanto das copas, ou até predominantemente no solo. Tal característica faz com que esta espécie se alimente tanto de humanos quanto de outros primatas, tornando possível circulação de plasmódios entre estes hospedeiros (Deane 1986(Deane , 1992Azevedo 1997;Cerutti 2007;Ueno et al 2007).…”