Characterization of life-history parameters of an Anopheles funestus (Diptera: Culicidae) laboratory strain

Zengenene, Munyaradzi Prince; Munhenga, Givemore; Chidumwa, Glory; Koekemoer, Lizette L.

doi:10.52707/1081-1710-46.1.24

Cited by 11 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…In addition to having relatively high sporozoite prevalence and high vectorial capacity, An. funestus has also been shown to be highly resistant to insecticide [ 19 ], long survival [ 20 ], and more anthropophilic [ 21 ] than co-existing vector species in several settings. Consequently, An.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using ecological observations to improve malaria control in areas where Anopheles funestus is the dominant vector

Kahamba

Finda

Ngowo

et al. 2022

Malar J

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The most important malaria vectors in sub-Saharan Africa are Anopheles gambiae, Anopheles arabiensis, Anopheles funestus, and Anopheles coluzzii. Of these, An. funestus presently dominates in many settings in east and southern Africa. While research on this vector species has been impeded by difficulties in creating laboratory colonies, available evidence suggests it has certain ecological vulnerabilities that could be strategically exploited to greatly reduce malaria transmission in areas where it dominates. This paper examines the major life-history traits of An. funestus, its aquatic and adult ecologies, and its responsiveness to key interventions. It then outlines a plausible strategy for reducing malaria transmission by the vector and sustaining the gains over the medium to long term. To illustrate the propositions, the article uses data from south-eastern Tanzania where An. funestus mediates over 85% of malaria transmission events and is highly resistant to key public health insecticides, notably pyrethroids. Both male and female An. funestus rest indoors and the females frequently feed on humans indoors, although moderate to high degrees of zoophagy can occur in areas with large livestock populations. There are also a few reports of outdoor-biting by the species, highlighting a broader range of behavioural phenotypes that can be considered when designing new interventions to improve vector control. In comparison to other African malaria vectors, An. funestus distinctively prefers permanent and semi-permanent aquatic habitats, including river streams, ponds, swamps, and spring-fed pools. The species is therefore well-adapted to sustain its populations even during dry months and can support year-round malaria transmission. These ecological features suggest that highly effective control of An. funestus could be achieved primarily through strategic combinations of species-targeted larval source management and high quality insecticide-based methods targeting adult mosquitoes in shelters. If done consistently, such an integrated strategy has the potential to drastically reduce local populations of An. funestus and significantly reduce malaria transmission in areas where this vector species dominates. To sustain the gains, the programmes should be complemented with gradual environmental improvements such as house modification to maintain biting exposure at a bare minimum, as well as continuous engagements of the resident communities and other stakeholders.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using ecological observations to improve malaria control in areas where Anopheles funestus is the dominant vector

Kahamba

Finda

Ngowo

et al. 2022

Malar J

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“…To measure wing lengths, adult mosquitoes from each treatment were immobilized at 4°C in a refrigerator. After immobilization, the left‐wing was removed, and its length was measured from the distal edge of the alula to the end of the radius vein, excluding fringe scales (Zengenene et al, 2021) at ×200 magnification using an eyepiece micrometre mounted on a dissecting microscope (OLYMPUS SZX7, Olympus America Inc., Center Valley, CA, U.S.A.). The mean wing lengths were compared by gender within and between the larval density cohorts.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An A. funestus laboratory strain (FANG) originating from field collections from southern Angola was used during this study. This strain has been under colonization since 2002 (Zengenene et al, 2021). It is housed in the Botha De Meillon Insectary at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), Johannesburg, South Africa.…”

Section: Biological Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A total of three biological repeats were included. Life history traits as detailed below were assessed and compared as previously described in Zengenene et al (2021):…”

Section: Biological Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…First instar larvae (L1) were added to 750 ml of deionized water in larval rearing containers with an anchoring perimeter of 640 mm. These were fed twice daily until pupation on a mixture of finely crushed dog biscuits (West's Beeno Traditional Crunchy Biscuit Treats, Martin and Martin, South Africa) and brewer's yeast (Vital Health Foods, South Africa) (mixed at a ratio of 3:1 respectively) at a dose rate of 0.04-0.40 mg/larva fed twice daily as described by Zengenene et al (2021). Nutritional composition for the dog biscuits is 16% protein, 10% moisture, crude fat (2.5%), crude fibre (3%), phosphorous (1.5%), vitamin C (3 mg) and E (10 i.u.)…”

Section: Larval Development Time and Survivalmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effect of larval density and additional anchoring surface on the life‐history traits of a laboratory colonized Anopheles funestus strain

Zengenene

Munhenga

Okumu

et al. 2022

Medical Vet Entomology

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Optimal rearing conditions, inclusive of larval rearing density, are critical for sustained mosquito productivity. There is limited information on favourable conditions for the larval rearing of Anopheles funestus, the dominant malaria vector in east and southern Africa. This work investigated the effects of larval rearing densities and additional anchoring surface on An. funestus development using a life table approach. Larval cohorts were reared at four different larval densities using the same rearing surface area, larval food concentrations and temperature conditions. Rearing larvae at high densities extended the larval developmental time and reduced adult productivity. Adding an extra larval anchoring surface when rearing larvae at high density resulted in extended larval developmental time, increased larval survivorship and produced bigger adults. These findings improve our understanding of the relationship between larval density and developmental traits in An. funestus and provides baseline information for An. funestus rearing under laboratory conditions.

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Range dynamics of Anopheles mosquitoes in Africa suggest a significant increase in the malaria transmission risk

Nie,

He,

Feng

2024

Ecology and Evolution

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Despite a more than 100‐year effort to combat malaria, it remains one of the most malignant infectious diseases globally, especially in Africa. Malaria is transmitted by several Anopheles mosquitoes. However, until now few studies have investigated future range dynamics of major An. mosquitoes in Africa through a unified scheme. Through a unified scheme, we developed 21 species distribution models to predict the range dynamics of 21 major An. species in Africa under future scenarios and also examined their overall range dynamic patterns mainly through suitability overlap index and range overlap index. Although future range dynamics varied substantially among the 21 An. species, we predicted large future range expansions for all 21 An. species, and increases in suitability overlap index were detected in more than 90% of the African continent for all future scenarios. Additionally, we predicted high range overlap index in West Africa, East Africa, South Sudan, Angola, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo under future scenarios. Although the relative impacts of land use, topography and climate variables on the range dynamics depended on species and spatial scale, climate played the strongest roles in the range dynamics of most species. Africa might face an increasing risk of malaria transmissions in the future, and better strategies are required to address this problem. Mitigating climate change and human disturbance of natural ecosystems might be essential to reduce the proliferation of An. species and the risk of malaria transmissions in Africa in the future. Our strategies against their impacts should be species‐specific.

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Characterization of life-history parameters of an Anopheles funestus (Diptera: Culicidae) laboratory strain

Cited by 11 publications

References 33 publications

Using ecological observations to improve malaria control in areas where Anopheles funestus is the dominant vector

Using ecological observations to improve malaria control in areas where Anopheles funestus is the dominant vector

Effect of larval density and additional anchoring surface on the life‐history traits of a laboratory colonized Anopheles funestus strain

Range dynamics of Anopheles mosquitoes in Africa suggest a significant increase in the malaria transmission risk

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