Study of behavioral patterns and infection analyses in anopheline species involved in the transmission of malaria in Buriticupu and São José de Ribamar municipality, Maranhão State, Brazil

Abstract

Anopheles darlingi Root and Anopheles aquasalis Curry are the main vectors of malaria that occur in the State of Maranhão. Entomological surveys based on the behavior and infectivity of these vectors are important for the elaboration of disease control strategies. The objectives of this work were to study the behavioral patterns of mosquitoes, determining population and hematophagic peaks, dietary preferences, infectivity rate and characterization of breeding sites in two municipalities in the State of Maranhão: Buriticupu and São José of Ribamar. Larvae and pupae were collected in breeding sites and adult females in home environments. Mosquito behavior, their dietary preferences and Plasmodium spp infection rates were analyzed. The vegetation and physicochemical patterns in the breeding sites found are in agreement with those described for species from the Amazon region and the Brazilian Atlantic coast. Anopheles darlingi was the most prevalent mosquito in Buriticupu breeding and home environments. This species was found mainly fed on human blood and naturally infected with Plasmodium vivax Grassi & Feletti and Plasmodium falciparum Welch. Anopheles aquasalis was more frequent in breeding sites in São José de Ribamar, as well as in home environments, whose specimens were mainly fed with human and bird blood. The main peaks of mosquito occurrence in Buriticupu were between 6 pm to 9 pm and in São José de Ribamar we did not record a definite peak. In the first municipality A. darlingi showed dominance over Anopheles albitarsis Lynch Arribálzaga s.l., Anopheles oswaldoi Peryassú, Anopheles nuneztovari Gabaldón and Anopheles evansae Brèthes,, besides presenting a correlation with rainfall. In the second municipality, A. aquasalis was dominant over A. albitarsis s.l. and there was a correlation between these two species and the rainy season. We conclude that the collected data contribute to elucidate the dynamics of malaria transmission in the region and guide the control actions directed to the elimination of the disease in the country.

Bionomics and population dynamics of anopheline larvae from an area dominated by fish farming tanks in northern Brazilian Amazon

“…Overall, our findings support previous studies [ 13 , 16 , 17 , 35 , 45 ] that fish farming tanks play an important role as permanent breeding sites with high potential for promoting Anopheles larval development, especially for A . darlingi .…”

“…This finding is supported by the higher LIMH values ( Table 1 ) observed for this type of breeding site. Similar values were reported for São José de Ribamar, State of Maranhão (0.64), although Barros et al [ 45 ] captured only 75 Anopheles larvae in that locality. In this study, A .…”

Blood-feeding behavior of Anopheles species (Diptera: Culicidae) in the district of Ilha de Santana, state of Amapá, eastern Brazilian Amazon

“…Similar results to those observed in the present study were also reported in the state of Maranhão for A. albitarsis s.l., A. darlingi, and A. nuneztovari s.l., regarding HBR and with peaks occurring in the first time intervals (Barros et al, 2020). A second peak in the third time interval (21 -22 hours) was observed for A. darlingi.…”

Seasonality modulates the direct and indirect influences of forest cover on larval anopheline assemblages in western Amazônia

“…We untangled how the direct and indirect paths of forest cover and water quality variables interact and shape anopheline assemblages in two seasons. Although previous studies determined how environmental variables at different spatial extents affected anopheline distributions in Amazônia, most studies focused on a single effect of an environmental variable or focused on single habitat types (terrestrial or aquatic) 22 , 23 , 41 , 42 . Our most important finding is that seasonality modulates the direct and indirect effects of forest cover on Amazônian anopheline larval distributions.…”

“…Seasonality can also modulate water quality 21 . For example, in the dry season, lentic habitats are reduced, leading to increased primary production and dissolved solids and decreased pH, which are positively correlated with the presence of Anopheles species in aquatic systems 22 , 23 . Therefore, distinguishing the direct (mediated only by forest loss) and indirect (forest loss effects on larval habitats) effects of forest loss on mosquito diversity and abundance is fundamental for understanding and predicting mosquito assemblages.…”