Anthropophilic mosquitoes and malaria transmission in the eastern foothills of the central highlands of Madagascar

Malaria remains a major public health problem in Madagascar as it is the first cause of morbidity in health care facilities Its transmission remains poorly documented An entomological study was carried out over 1 year (October 2003-September 2004) in Saharevo a village located at an altitude of 900 m on the eastern edge of the Malagasy central highlands Mosquitoes were sampled weekly upon landing on human volunteers and in various resting-places Out of 5515 mosquitoes collected on humans 3219 (58 4%) were anophelines Eleven anopheline species were represented among which Anopheles funestus Anopheles gambiae Anopheles arabiensis and Anopheles mascarensis Out of 677 mosquitoes collected in bedrooms by pyrethrum spray catches and in Muirhead-Thomson pits 656 (96 9%) were anopheline belonging to these four latter species The proportion of mosquitoes that fed on human varied according to the resting-places and the mosquito species 86% of An funestus resting in bedrooms fed on humans whereas only 16% of An funestus and 0% of An mascarensis resting in pits fed on humans The proportion of anopheline mosquitoes infected with human Plasmodium was measured by circumsporozoite protein-ELISA 10/633 An funestus (1 58%) 1/211 An gambiae s l (048%) and 2/268 An mascarensis (075%) The annual entomological inoculation rate (number of bites of infected anophelines per adult) was estimated at 2 78 The transmission was mainly due to An funestus and only observed in the second half of the rainy season from February to May These results are discussed in the context of the current malaria vector control policy in Madagascar (C) 2010 Elsevier B V All rights reserved