High vector diversity and malaria transmission dynamics in five sentinel sites in Cameroon.

BACKGROUND: Malaria remains one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality in Cameroon. To inform vector control intervention decision making, malaria vector surveillance was conducted monthly from October 2018 to September 2020 in five selected sentinel sites (Gounougou and Simatou in the North, and Bonabéri, Mangoum and Nyabessang in the South). METHODS: Human landing catches (HLCs), U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) light traps, and pyrethrum spray catches (PSCs) were used to assess vector density, species composition, human biting rate (HBR), endophagic index, indoor resting density (IRD), parity, sporozoite infection rates, entomological inoculation rate (EIR), and Anopheles vectorial capacity. RESULTS: A total of 139,322 Anopheles mosquitoes from 18 species (or 21 including identified sub-species) were collected across all sites. Out of the 18 species, 12 were malaria vectors including Anopheles gambiae sensu lato (s.l.), Anopheles funestus s.l.., Anopheles nili, Anopheles moucheti, Anopheles paludis, Anopheles demeilloni, Anopheles. pharoensis, Anopheles ziemanni, Anopheles multicinctus, Anopheles tenebrosus, Anopheles rufipes, and Anopheles marshallii. Anopheles gambiae s.l. remains the major malaria vector (71% of the total Anopheles) collected, though An. moucheti and An. paludis had the highest sporozoite rates in Nyabessang. The mean indoor HBR of Anopheles ranged from 11.0 bites/human/night (b/h/n) in Bonabéri to 104.0 b/h/n in Simatou, while outdoors, it varied from 24.2 b/h/n in Mangoum to 98.7 b/h/n in Simatou. Anopheles gambiae s.l. and An. moucheti were actively biting until at least 8:00 a.m. The mean Anopheles IRD was 17.1 females/room, and the parity rate was 68.9%. The mean EIRs for each site were 55.4 infective bites/human/month (ib/h/m) in Gounougou, 99.0 ib/h/m in Simatou, 51.2 ib/h/m in Mangoum, 24.4 ib/h/m in Nyabessang, and 18.1 ib/h/m in Bonabéri. Anopheles gambiae s.l. was confirmed as the main malaria vector with the highest vectorial capacity in all sites based on sporozoite rate, except in Nyabessang. CONCLUSION: These findings highlight the high malaria transmission occurring in Cameroon and will support the National Malaria Control Program to design evidence-based malaria vector control strategies, and deployment of effective and integrated vector control interventions to reduce malaria transmission and burden in Cameroon, where several Anopheles species could potentially maintain year-round transmission.

The bionomics of the malaria vector Anopheles rufipes Gough, 1910 and its susceptibility to deltamethrin insecticide in North Cameroon.

BACKGROUND: Following the recent discovery of the role of Anopheles rufipes Gough, 1910 in human malaria transmission in the northern savannah of Cameroon, we report here additional information on its feeding and resting habits and its susceptibility to the pyrethroid insecticide deltamethrin. METHODS: From 2011 to 2015, mosquito samples were collected in 38 locations across Garoua, Mayo Oulo and Pitoa health districts in North Cameroon. Adult anophelines collected using outdoor clay pots, window exit traps and indoor spray catches were checked for feeding status, blood meal origin and Plasmodium circumsporozoite protein. The susceptibility of field-collected An. rufipes to deltamethrin was assessed using WHO standard procedures. RESULTS: Of 9327 adult Anopheles collected in the 38 study sites, An. rufipes (6.5%) was overall the fifth most abundant malaria vector species following An. arabiensis (52.4%), An. funestus (s.l.) (20.8%), An. coluzzii (12.6%) and An. gambiae (6.8%). This species was found outdoors (51.2%) or entering houses (48.8%) in 35 suburban and rural locations, together with main vector species. Apart from human blood with index of 37%, An. rufipes also fed on animals including cows (52%), sheep (49%), pigs (16%), chickens (2%) and horses (1%). The overall parasite infection rate of this species was 0.4% based on the detection of P. falciparum circumsporozoite proteins in two of 517 specimens tested. Among the 21 An. rufipes populations assessed for deltamethrin susceptibility, seven populations were classified as "susceptible" (mortality ≥ 98%) , ten as "probable resistant" with a mortality range of 90-97% and four as "resistant" with a mortality range of 80-89%. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed changeable resting and feeding behaviour of An. rufipes, as well as further evidence on its ability to carry human malaria parasites in North Cameroon. Besides, this species is developing physiological resistance to deltamethrin insecticide which is used in treated nets and agriculture throughout the country, and should be regarded as one of potential targets for the control of residual malaria parasite transmission in Africa.