Host attraction and biting behaviour of Anopheles mosquitoes in South Halmahera, Indonesia

Abstract

BackgroundIndonesia is home to a variety of malaria vectors whose specific bionomic traits remain largely uncharacterized. Species-specific behaviours, such as host feeding preferences, impact the dynamics of malaria transmission and the effectiveness of vector control interventions.MethodsTo examine species-specific host attraction and feeding behaviours, a Latin square design was used to compare Anopheles mosquitoes attracted to human, cow, and goat-baited tents. Anopheles mosquitoes were collected hourly from the inside walls of each baited tent. Species were morphologically and then molecularly identified using rDNA ITS2 sequences. The head and thorax of individual specimens were analysed for Plasmodium DNA using PCR. Bloodmeals were identified using a multiplex PCR.ResultsA total of 1024, 137, and 74 Anopheles were collected over 12 nights in cow, goat, and human-baited tents, respectively. The species were identified as Anopheles kochi, Anopheles farauti s.s., Anopheles hackeri, Anopheles hinesorum, Anopheles indefinitus, Anopheles punctulatus, Anopheles tessellatus, Anopheles vagus, and Anopheles vanus, many of which are known to transmit human malaria. Molecular analysis of blood meals revealed a high level of feeding on multiple host species in a single night. Anopheles kochi, An. indefinitus, and An. vanus were infected with Plasmodium vivax at rates comparable to primary malaria vectors.ConclusionsThe species distributions of Anopheles mosquitoes attracted to human, goat, and cow hosts were similar. Eight of nine sporozoite positive samples were captured with animal-baited traps, indicating that even predominantly zoophilic mosquitoes may be contributing to malaria transmission. Multiple host feeding and flexibility in blood feeding behaviour have important implications for malaria transmission, malaria control, and the effectiveness of intervention and monitoring methods, particularly those that target human-feeding vectors.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12936-017-1950-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Mosquito electrocuting traps for directly measuring biting rates and host-preferences of Anopheles arabiensis and Anopheles funestus outdoors

“…The results of this present study are consistent with more recent reports from Zambia where the human attack rate of An. funestus was only 41.2% [ 27 ], and another in western Kenya where the human blood index of An. funestus was only 60% [ 21 ].…”

Identification of blood-feeding sources in Panstrongylus, Psammolestes, Rhodnius and Triatoma using amplicon-based next-generation sequencing

“…For example, cellulase activity within digestion is affected by the feeding habits of termites [ 11 ]; in addition, infection with Mycobacterium ulcerans is conditioned by the feeding behavior of water bugs due to a possible symbiotic relationship between the host and insect [ 12 ]. Moreover, the bacterial and fungal communities in the gut of certain insects are defined by their feeding habits [ 9 , 13 ], which can affect the effectivity of insects as vectors, as has been shown for Anopheles in previous studies [ 14 – 20 ]. Due to the aforementioned effects, these variables have an impact on transmission dynamics [ 21 , 22 ], which makes knowledge of feeding habits important for the development of effective prevention and control strategies for tropical diseases.…”

Comparative evaluation of anopheline sampling methods in three localities in Indonesia

“…punctulatus complex present [ 37 ]. Extremely high catch rates have been shown using cow baits compared to humans in tents at this same collection site [ 38 ]. Due to low HLC catches in this and some other areas, meaningful biting rates are difficult to calculate and various epidemiological measures, such as entomological inoculation rate (EIR), may need to be calculated from non-entomological measures such as serological infection rates [ 39 ].…”