Is Côte D'Ivoire a new high hybridization zone for the two major malaria vectors, Anopheles coluzzii and An. gambiae (Diptera, Culicidae)?

Anopheles gambiae and An. coluzzii are very closely related and recently differentiated species representing the main malaria vectors in the Afrotropical region and responsible of up to >3 infective bites/person/night in Côte D'Ivoire, where prevention and control has stagnated in recent years. The aim of the present study was to genetically and ecologically characterize An. gambiae and An. coluzzii populations from two villages of Côte D'Ivoire, lying in the coastal forest belt and 250 km inland in the Guinean savannah mosaic belt, respectively. Results reveal high frequencies of both species in both study sites and high frequencies of hybrids (4-33%) along the whole year of sampling. Consistently with observations for the well-known high hybridization zone at the far-west of the species range, hybrid frequencies were higher in the coastal village and highest when the two species occurred at more balanced frequencies, supporting the "frequency-dependent hybridization" ecological speciation theory. Pilot genotyping revealed signatures of genomic admixture in both chromosome-X and -3. Coupled with previous reports of hybrids in the region, the results point to the coastal region of Côte D'Ivoire as a possible regions of high hybridization. Preliminary characterization of parameters relevant for malaria transmission and control (e.g. possibly higher sporozoite rates and indoor biting preferences in hybrids than in the parental species) highlight the possible relevance of the breakdown of reproductive barriers between An. gambiae and An. coluzzii not only in the field of ecological evolution, but also in malaria epidemiology and control.

Species composition and population dynamics of Aedes mosquitoes, potential vectors of arboviruses, at the container terminal of the autonomous port of Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.

An entomological survey of Aedes mosquitoes was initiated at the container terminal of the Autonomous Port of Abidjan in 2009 following the occurrence of two outbreaks of yellow fever in less than 10 years and dengue cases reported in 2008 among expatriates returning from Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast). It was based on regular monitoring of ovitraps from July 2009 to June 2010. A total of 4,739 adult mosquitoes represented by four species of Aedes (97% of total) and one unexpected species of Culex (3%) were obtained. Aedes aegypti was dominant with 98% of total Aedes (n = 4,594). Its density variation was closely related to the amount of rainfall. The other species of Aedes were collected in the second half of the major rainy season including Ae. albopictus (1.17% of Aedes) and Ae. angustus (0.13%) whose presence was discovered for the first time in Côte d'Ivoire.