Unexpected anthropophily in the potential secondary malaria vectors Anopheles coustani s.l. and Anopheles squamosus in Macha, Zambia

Abstract

Anopheles coustani s.l. and Anopheles squamosus are sub-Saharan mosquito species that have been implicated in malaria transmission. Although generally believed to be of negligible importance due to their overwhelmingly zoophilic behavior, An. coustani s.l. and An. squamosus made up a large proportion of the anophelines collected by human landing catches during the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 rainy seasons in Macha, Zambia. Further, polymerase chain reaction-based blood meal identification showed that the majority of blood meals from these mosquito species caught in human-baited Centers for Disease Control light traps were from human hosts. Although no An. coustani s.l. or An. squamosus were found to be positive for Plasmodium, the demonstrated anthropophilic tendencies of these mosquitoes in southern Zambia suggest their potential as secondary malaria vectors.

Figures

FIG. 1.

Seasonality (December–May) of anopheline mosquitoes captured during the 2007–2008 and 2008–2009 rainy seasons in Macha, Zambia. The five most numerous anopheline species captured by each method are shown. HLC, human landing catch.

FIG. 2.

Total Anopheles coustani s.l. and Anopheles squamosus captured each hour by indoor and outdoor HLC collections.