Multiple hosts, multiple impacts: the role of vertebrate host diversity in shaping mosquito life history and pathogen transmission

Vantaux, Amélie; Moiroux, Nicolas; Dabiré, Kounbobr Roch; Cohuet, Anna; Lefèvre, Thierry

doi:10.1101/2023.02.10.527988

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…However, a recent study in Burkina Faso showed no fitness cost for feeding on alternative domestic hosts (cow and sheep), compared with humans, in An. coluzzii (Vantaux et al., 2023). Therefore, the strong association for feeding on humans should involve other biological determinants such as a greater sensitivity of anthropophilic mosquitoes to detect human skin volatiles.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Host preference patterns in domestic and wild settings: Insights into Anopheles feeding behavior

Bouafou,

Makanga,

Rahola

et al. 2024

Evolutionary Applications

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The adaptation of Anopheles malaria vectors to domestic settings is directly linked to their ability to feed on humans. The strength of this species–habitat association is unequal across the species within the genus, with the major vectors being particularly dependent on humans. However, our understanding of how blood‐feeding behavior interacts with and adapts to environmental settings, including the presence of humans, remains limited. Using a field‐based approach, we first investigated Anopheles community structure and feeding behavior patterns in domestic and sylvatic settings in La Lopé National Park in Gabon, Central Africa. We characterized the preference indices using a dual‐host choice sampling approach across mosquito species, habitats, and seasons. We then quantified the plastic biting behavior of mosquito species in each habitat. We collected individuals from 16 Anopheles species that exhibited significant differences in species composition and abundance between sylvatic and domestic settings. The host‐seeking behavior also varied among the seven most abundant species. The general attractiveness to each host, human or animal, remained relatively constant for each species, but with significant variations between habitats across species. These variations, to more generalist and to more anthropophilic behavior, were related to seasonal changes and distance from the village, respectively. Finally, we pointed out that the host choice of major malaria vectors changed in the absence of humans, revealing a plastic feeding behavior of these species. This study highlights the effect of humans on Anopheles distribution and feeding evolution. The characterization of feeding behavior in wild and domestic settings provides opportunities to better understand the interplay between genetic determinants of host preference and ecological factors. Our findings suggest that protected areas may offer alternative thriving conditions to major malaria vectors.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Host preference patterns in domestic and wild settings: Insights into Anopheles feeding behavior

Bouafou,

Makanga,

Rahola

et al. 2024

Evolutionary Applications

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Data and scripts for the theoretical modeling are available online: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7645483 (Vantaux, 2023b).…”

Section: Data Scripts Code and Supplementary Information Availabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%