Anopheles albimanus (Diptera: Culicidae) Host Selection Patterns in Three Ecological Areas of the Coastal Plains of Chiapas, Southern Mexico

Abstract

The host-feeding patterns of Anopheles albimanus Wiedemann were described and the effect of host availability on these patterns was assessed in three different ecological areas of coastal Chiapas, Mexico. Resting mosquitoes were collected indoors and outdoors during rainy seasons. A 20% sample of blood-fed mosquitoes was tested to determine the source of the blood meal using an ELISA. The unweighted human blood index (HBI) of An. albimanus in the three areas ranged from 0.11 to 0.21. This mosquito species fed more frequently on bovines than on any other host, but the forage ratio indicated that there was also a high preference for equines. Some females tended to rest or complete their gonotrophic cycle indoors after feeding on animals, but females also fed on man and rested outdoors. Host availability and ecological conditions appeared to be responsible for differences observed in the HBI among areas.

The dominant Anopheles vectors of human malaria in the Americas: occurrence data, distribution maps and bionomic précis

“…Anopheles albimanus bites in the evening and during the night [77,80,85,86,90,91]. It appears to show a tendency for zoophily, but this is dependent upon location [86,89,91,92]. In Colombia, Solarte et al .…”

“…In contrast, Loyola et al . [92] described this species as highly zoophilic in Mexico, however they also pointed out that host availability and other ecological conditions influence the host choice of this species.…”

Comparative Vector Bionomics and Morphometrics of Two Genetically Distinct Field Populations of Anopheles darlingi Root from Belize, Central America and Zungarococha, Peru, South America

“…13). The data show that a significantly lower number (106). These studies, however, need to factor in host availability and total body mass.…”

Malaria transmission potential by Anopheles sinensis in the Republic of Korea

“…The direct enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) modified by Loyola et al (1993) was used to identify the source of the blood meal. Mosquito samples were eluted overnight in 0.2 ml of phosphate buffered saline (PBS, pH 7.4).…”

“…Human blood index (HBI) is the proportion of human blood feed mosquito per night per female mosquito. Human blood source from the mosquito can be identified by hemoglobin crystallization method (Kim, 1994), hemoglobin precipitation test (Gad et al, 1995), enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA; Loyola et al, 1993), or DNA dot blot method (Sato et al, 1992).…”