Biology of mosquitoes that are potential vectors of Rift Valley Fever virus in different biotopes of the central highlands of Madagascar.

There were epidemic-epizootics of Rift Valley Fever (RVF) affecting humans and cattle in Madagascar in the district of Anjozorobe in 2008. Little is known about the role of Malagasy mosquitoes in the circulation of RVF virus. Therefore, we investigated the species diversity, dynamics and biology of potential RVF virus vectors in the rainforest, rainforest edge (village of Anorana), and savanna biotope (village of Antanifotsy) of this district between November 2008 and July 2010. We captured 56,605 adults of 35 different species. Anopheles squamosus (Theobald), Anopheles coustani (Laveran), Culex antennatus (Becker), Culex pipiens (L.), and Culex univittatus (Theobald) were the most abundant during the rainy season with Cx. pipiens the most abundant species in the rainforest (47%), and An. squamosus the most abundant species in the rainforest edge and in the savanna biotope (56%, 60%, respectively). Only Cx. univittatus was abundant in the dry season. The parous rate was > 60% throughout the rainy season for An. squamosus and it was > 50% from the middle to the end of the rainy season for Cx. pipiens. Two additional species have been found only at larval stage. Cattle were the most attractive bait for all species, followed by sheep and poultry. Human was the least attractive for all species. Most of the 163 bloodmeals tested were taken from cattle. Three were from poultry, one was from dog and one was a mixed bloodmeal taken from sheep and cattle. These results on vectorial capacity parameters may allow considering the involvement of mosquito transmission of the virus in the district of Anjozorobe during the recent epidemic-epizootic.

Modification of Anopheles gambiae distribution at high altitudes in Madagascar.

In Madagascar, Anopheles gambiae has been found below altitudes of 1,000 m. We sampled An. gambiae sensu lato (sl) between 2008 and 2010 in the Central Highlands of Madagascar at altitudes over 1,200 m. The study site consists of rainforest, rainforest edge, and an open savanna biotope. Anopheles gambiae and An. arabiensis, as well as molecular forms of An. gambiae, were identified molecularly. An. gambiae accounted for 26.7% at the edge of the rainforest and 2.3% in the open savanna biotope. One specimen of this species was caught in the forest. An. arabiensis accounted for 66.3% at the edge of the rainforest and 97.7 % in the open savanna biotope. All An. gambiae adults tested belonged to the S molecular form. An. gambiae is present at high altitudes in Madagascar, with a high prevalence at the rainforest edge. Several factors, including the appearance of new favorable biotopes, recolonization after a reduction of indoor vector control, and climate change, may contribute to its distribution. The changing distribution of An. gambiae may have consequences for the distribution and incidence of malaria in the Malagasy Highlands.