Culex species diversity, susceptibility to insecticides and role as potential vector of Lymphatic filariasis in the city of Yaoundé, Cameroon

Abstract

Background Culex species are widespread across Cameroon and responsible for high burden of nuisance in most urban settings. However, despite their high nuisance, they remain less studied compared to anophelines. The present study aimed to assess Culex species distribution, susceptibility to insecticide, bionomics and role in Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) transmission in the city of Yaoundé. Methods Mosquito collections were conducted from March to December 2017 using Centre for Disease Control light traps (CDC-LT), human landing catches (HLC) and larval collections. Mosquitoes were identified using morphological identification keys. Mosquitoes from the Culex pipiens complex were further identified using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to assess the presence of sibling species. Bioassays were conducted with 2–5 day-old unfed females to assess mosquito susceptibility to DDT, permethrin, deltamethrin and bendiocarb following WHO guidelines. Dead, control and surviving mosquitoes from bioassays were screened by PCR to detect the presence of knockdown resistance ( kdr ) alleles. Pools of mosquitoes were examined by PCR to detect the presence of Wuchereria bancrofti . Results A total of 197,956 mosquitoes belonging to thirteen species were collected. The density of mosquito collected varied according to the collection methods, districts and seasons. Culex quinquefasciatus emerged as the most abundant and the only species of the Culex pipiens complex in Yaoundé. Culex species were found breeding in different types of breeding sites including polluted and unpolluted sites. All Culex species including Cx antennatus , Cx duttoni , Cx perfuscus and Cx tigripes were found to be highly resistant to permethrin, deltamethrin and DDT. Culex quinquefasciatus was also found to be resistant to bendiocarb. A high frequency of the West Africa kdr allele was recorded in resistant Cx . quinquefasciatus . Out of the 247 pooled samples of 25 Culex spp. examined for the presence of Wuchereria bancrofti , none was found infected. Conclusion The study confirms the high adaptation of Culex species particularly Culex quinquefasciatus to the urban environment and no implication of this species in the transmission of LF in Yaoundé Cameroon. Culex species predominance in urban settings highlight potential transmission risk of West Nile and rift valley fever in Yaoundé.

Influence of house characteristics on mosquito distribution and malaria transmission in the city of Yaoundé, Cameroon

“…The following was in accordance with studies conducted so far [11]. The densities of both Culicines and Anophelines were influenced by rainfall and was consistent with studies conducted so far in the city of Yaoundé [11,42]. Despite the fact that more and more people stay outdoor very late in the night, high mosquito density was recorded indoor.…”

“…In the city of Yaoundé several mosquito species are present all year round and are responsible for high mosquito burden. These include Culex, Aedes and Anophelines species [11,42,43]. Up to five Anophelines species were recorded during the study An.…”

“…Yet bed nets efficacy in Yaoundé could be affected by the rapid expansion of insecticide resistance in both An. gambiae and Culex species [42,54].…”

Impact of deforestation on the abundance, diversity, and richness of Culex mosquitoes in a southwest Cameroon tropical rainforest

“…Culex mosquitoes were collected abundantly in the study area by sweep net traps as in Yaoundé, Cameroon many years ago (Brottes et al ). CDC light traps were not effective in our study area, despite the high efficiency of this method in collecting high number of Culex mosquitoes (Nchoutpouen et al ). The efficiency of a sampling method probably depends on the study area and the habitat type.…”

Low transmission of Wuchereria bancrofti in cross-border districts of Côte d’Ivoire: A great step towards lymphatic filariasis elimination in West Africa

“…The high parity rates recorded may indicate that mosquito vectors may probably survive the extrinsic incubation period of the infecting parasite [50]. PCR-positive mosquitoes provide an indirect indicator of the presence of infected humans and possible ongoing transmission [51]. This would expose the residents of these localities to the risks of both LF and malaria.…”