The Effect of Deforestation on the Human-Biting Rate of Anopheles Darlingi, the Primary Vector of Falciparum Malaria in the Peruvian Amazon

Abstract

To examine the impact of tropical rain-forest destruction on malaria, we conducted a year-long study of the rates at which the primary malaria vector in the Amazon, Anopheles darlingi, fed on humans in areas with varying degrees of ecological alteration in the Peruvian Amazon. Mosquitoes were collected by human biting catches along the Iquitos-Nauta road at sites selected for type of vegetation and controlled for human presence. Deforested sites had an A. darlingi biting rate that was more than 278 times higher than the rate determined for areas that were predominantly forested. Our results indicate that A. darlingi displays significantly increased human-biting activity in areas that have undergone deforestation and development associated with road development.

Mosquito vector‐associated microbiota: Metabarcoding bacteria and eukaryotic symbionts across habitat types in Thailand endemic for dengue and other arthropod‐borne diseases

“…Thus, shifts in the communities of nonpathogenic vector‐associated microbes in response to ecological changes and distribution of vectors could affect the distribution of pathogens across human‐modified landscapes. The relationship between increased threats to human health via infectious microbes and land‐use change and/or biodiversity loss has been reported in several systems, linked to urbanization, agricultural intensification, and deforestation (McFarlane, Sleigh, & McMichael, 2013; Olson, Gangnon, Silveira, & Patz, 2010; Vitter et al., 2006; Wilcox & Colwell, 2005). Our results highlight the importance of subsequent investigation to determine how symbiotic microbial diversity of mosquito vectors responds to habitat change and the implications for human health.…”

Malaria entomological inoculation rates in gold mining areas of Southern Venezuela

“…Nevertheless, low biting densities (5-10 bites/person/ night) seem to be characteristic of An. darlingi throughout its range of distribution (Roberts et al 1987, Tadei et al 1998, Soares et al 2003, Brochero et al 2005, Vittor et al 2006). There are reports in Venezuela of biting rates that varied from 5.8-1,265 An.…”

Environmental change and infectious disease: How new roads affect the transmission of diarrheal pathogens in rural Ecuador

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