Larval habitat diversity and Anopheles mosquito species distribution in different ecological zones in Ghana
Open Access
- 7 April 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in Parasites & Vectors
- Vol. 14 (1), 1-14
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-021-04701-w
Abstract
Understanding the ecology of larval malaria and lymphatic filariasis mosquitoes in a changing environment is important in developing effective control tools or programmes. This study characterized the breeding habitats of Anopheles mosquitoes in rural communities in different ecological zones in Ghana during the dry and rainy seasons. The spatio-temporal distribution, species composition, and abundance of larval Anopheles mosquitoes in breeding habitats were studied in five locations in three ecological zones of Ghana. These were Anyakpor (coastal savannah area), Duase (forest area), and Libga, Pagaza, and Kpalsogu (Sahel savannah area). Larvae were collected using standard dippers and were raised in the insectary for identification. Out of a total of 7984 mosquito larvae collected, 2152 (27.26%) were anophelines and were more abundant in the rainy season (70.82%) than in the dry season (29.18%). The anophelines comprised 2128 (98.88%) An. gambiae s.l., 16 (0.74%) An. rufipes, and 8 (0.37%) An. pharoensis. In the coastal savannah and forest zones, dug-out wells were the most productive habitat during the dry (1.59 larvae/dip and 1.47 larvae/dip) and rainy seasons (11.28 larvae/dip and 2.05 larvae/dip). Swamps and furrows were the most productive habitats in the Sahel savannah zone during the dry (0.25 larvae/dip) and rainy (2.14 larvae/dip) seasons, respectively. Anopheles coluzzii was the most abundant sibling species in all the ecological zones. Anopheles melas and An. arabiensis were encountered only in the coastal savannah and the Sahel savannah areas, respectively. Larval habitat types influenced the presence of larvae as well as larval density (p < 0.001). The land-use type affected the presence of Anopheles larvae (p = 0.001), while vegetation cover influenced larval density (p < 0.05). The most productive habitats were dug-out wells in the coastal savannah and forest zones, and furrows from irrigated canals in the Sahel savannah zone. Anopheles coluzzii was the predominant vector species in all the ecological zones. The abundance of Anopheles breeding habitats and larvae were influenced by anthropogenic activities. Encouraging people whose activities create the larval habitats to become involved in larval source management such as habitat manipulation to stop mosquito breeding will be important for malaria and lymphatic filariasis control.Keywords
Funding Information
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (R01 A1123074)
This publication has 63 references indexed in Scilit:
- Anopheline Larval Habitats Seasonality and Species Distribution: A Prerequisite for Effective Targeted Larval Habitats Control ProgrammesPLOS ONE, 2012
- Abiotic and biotic factors associated with the presence of Anopheles arabiensis immatures and their abundance in naturally occurring and man-made aquatic habitatsParasites & Vectors, 2012
- Why Use of Interventions Targeting Outdoor Biting Mosquitoes will be Necessary to Achieve Malaria EliminationFrontiers in Physiology, 2012
- Productivity of Malaria Vectors from Different Habitat Types in the Western Kenya HighlandsPLOS ONE, 2011
- A longitudinal study on Anopheles mosquito larval abundance in distinct geographical and environmental settings in western KenyaMalaria Journal, 2011
- Patterns and seasonality of malaria transmission in the forest-savannah transitional zones of GhanaMalaria Journal, 2010
- Anopheles larval abundance and diversity in three rice agro-village complexes Mwea irrigation scheme, central KenyaMalaria Journal, 2010
- Environmental Factors Associated with the Distribution of Anopheles gambiae s.s in Ghana; an Important Vector of Lymphatic Filariasis and MalariaPLOS ONE, 2010
- Highly focused anopheline breeding sites and malaria transmission in DakarMalaria Journal, 2009
- A supervised land cover classification of a western Kenya lowland endemic for human malaria: associations of land cover with larval Anopheles habitatsInternational Journal of Health Geographics, 2009