Surveillance of Culicine Mosquitoes in Six Villages of Taita-Taveta County, Kenya, With Host Determinations From Blood-Fed Females

Abstract

Culicine mosquitoes are vectors of human disease-causing pathogens like filarial worms and several arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses). Currently, there has been an increase in emerging and re-emerging vector-borne diseases along coastal Kenya, which has been of major concern in public health. This study aimed at determining culicine mosquito species abundance, diversity and their host feeding preferences in Taita-Taveta County, Coastal Kenya. Entomological sampling was done during the long-wet season (March and May) and long dry season (June to October) 2016–2018. Mosquito sampling was done using CDC light traps and Backpack aspiration for indoor and outdoor environments. All culicine mosquitoes collected were identified morphologically and categorized according to their physiological status. Blood fed culicine mosquitoes were tested for bloodmeal sources using ELISA. In total, 3,278 culicine mosquitoes were collected, of which 738 (22.5 %) were found indoors and 2,540, (77.5 %) outdoors. The mosquitoes consisted of 18 species belonging to four genera: Aedes (7), Culex (8), Mansonia (2), and Coquillettidia (1). Overall, there was high mosquito species diversity (H) in outdoors (H = 2.4339) than in indoors (H = 2.2523), whereas even distribution (EH) was higher in indoors (EH = 0.9064) than outdoors (EH = 0.8266). Majorly the bloodmeals identified were from multiple host sources with (51.6%), single hosts (41.3%), and unidentified (7.2%). This study has demonstrated a high diversity of culicine mosquitoes with relaxed feeding tendencies. These mosquitoes are contributing to mosquito biting nuisance and the likelihood of exposure of populations to diseases of public health.

Serological Evidence of Exposure to Onyong-Nyong and Chikungunya Viruses in Febrile Patients of Rural Taita-Taveta County and Urban Kibera Informal Settlement in Nairobi, Kenya

“…Culex mosquitoes are the most abundant mosquito genus in Nairobi with infrequent reports of Aedes, mainly in a few pockets of forested areas, and even less frequent reports of Anopheles mosquitoes. Taita-Taveta has more mosquito vector diversity with Culex mosquitoes been the most abundant, Aedes frequently reported, and Anopheles mosquitoes more frequent than in Nairobi [41][42][43][44].…”

Malaria vector bionomics in Taita-Taveta County, coastal Kenya

“…Blood-meal analyses to determine mosquito feeding preferences were conducted using a previously described protocol [20,34,35]. Direct ELISA assay was used to discriminate blood-meal sources by using anti-host (immunoglobulin G) conjugate against humans, bovines, goats and chickens.…”

Surveillance Studies Reveal Diverse and Potentially Pathogenic-Incriminated Vector Mosquito Species across Major Botswana Touristic Hotspots

“…The research was funded by the University of Lausanne and the Swiss National Science Foundation, grant number 31003A_179378. Also, funding was secured from the Botswana International University of Science and Technology, grant numbers DVC/2/1/13 XI and DVC/RDI/2/1/7 V (18). The APC was funded by the University of Lausanne.…”

“…Mosquito species have the potential to successfully establish in diverse landscapes influenced by foraging (e.g., host availability, nectar dietary resources [16] or climatic niches [17]). Thus, in areas where there is a broad feeding preference (e.g., humans, livestock and wildlife), and favourable abiotic factors, mosquito species are likely to proliferate [18]. As such, novel environmental monuments such as game reserves and national parks with potentially diverse animal hosts, human influx, vegetation and perennial water supplies become a crucial ecological platform for vector-pathogen and host interaction fostering emerging and re-emerging mosquito-borne disease transmission dynamics [19].…”

“…As such, novel environmental monuments such as game reserves and national parks with potentially diverse animal hosts, human influx, vegetation and perennial water supplies become a crucial ecological platform for vector-pathogen and host interaction fostering emerging and re-emerging mosquito-borne disease transmission dynamics [19]. Therefore, there is need for robust and continuous monitoring across major mosquito-vector-species risk pathways to update the inventory status [18].…”