Permethrin‐impregnated bednet effects on resting and feeding behaviour of lymphatic filariasis vector mosquitoes in Kenya

Abstract

The impact of permethrin‐impregnated bednets on resting and feeding behaviour of mosquito vectors of Wuchereria bancrofti, causing human lymphatic filariasis was studied in six pairs of villages (treated and untreated) before and after intervention. The study villages were in Kwale District, near the coast of Kenya, where Bancroftian filariasis is highly endemic, transmitted by a combination of both anopheline and culicine mosquito vectors. Mosquitoes were collected weekly in each village, indoors (using pyrethrum spray catches) and outdoors (using pit traps) during 3–4 months following the long rainy season. Of the filariasis vector species of mosquitoes collected in 1994 before intervention, 33.6% were members of the Anopheles gambiae complex, 30% were An. funestus and 36.4% were Culex quinquefasciatus. PCR analysis of the An. gambiae complex species collected in 1995 demonstrated that 98.5% were An. gambiae sensu stricto, 1% An. arabiensis and 0.5% An. merus. Introduction of impregnated bednets in 1995 significantly reduced the number of indoor‐resting An. gambiae s.l. by 94.6% and An. funestus by 96.7%, but there was no change in the number of Cx quinquefasciatus collected indoors. The number of outdoor‐resting An. gambiae s.l. was significantly reduced, whereas densities of An. funestus and Cx quinquefasciatus remained unaffected outdoors. ELISA analysis of mosquito bloodmeals showed a shift from human to animal feeding after the introduction of treated nets. The human blood index (HBI) for indoor resting Cx quinquefasciatus was reduced from 93.1% to 14.4%. Vector potential based on the HBI and mosquito density was estimated to be reduced by 99% for An. gambiae s.l., 98% for An. funestus and 97% for Cx quinquefasciatus and vectorial capacity would be suppressed even more by the impact on the vector survival rates (not measured). These results suggest that permethrin‐impregnated bednets give effective personal protection against transmission of W. bancrofti by An. gambiae, An. funestus and Cx quinquefasciatus in East Africa.