Abstract
The survival of female Anopheles gambiae s.s. mosquitoes inside two village house types (grass-thatched and iron-roofed) was studied in relation to diet and ambient indoor microclimatic conditions. Two batches of 20–30, 1-day-old laboratory-bred mosquitoes were maintained inside cages in the grass-thatched (n = 2) and iron-roofed (n = 2) houses and fed daily, one group on 10% glucose and the other on human blood. Throughout the experiments, indoor temperature and relative humidity of the houses were recorded, and mortality of mosquitoes monitored daily until all had died. The experiments were replicated thrice. There was no significant variation in the overall mean temperature (P = 0.93) or relative humidity profiles (P = 0.099) between the two house types, although the iron-roofed houses recorded higher temperature peaks. A Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the mean survival times of mosquitoes were 8 and 10 days in the two grass-thatched huts and 7 and 10 days in the two iron-roof houses for mosquitoes feeding on blood and sugar meals, respectively. The mean survival times of mosquitoes maintained inside similar house types differed only due to diet. In the proportionality of hazards model (Cox regression), the dietary regimes significantly influenced the probability of survival (P = 0.0001), with mosquitoes surviving longer on sugar meals than on blood. Microclimatic factors inside houses also significantly influenced mosquito survival. Although higher peak temperatures were recorded in corrugated iron-roofed houses, the survival of the mosquitoes resting in them did not differ significantly from that in grass-thatched houses. However, the impact of these temperatures on the development of malaria parasites inside the vector needs to be investigated.
Résumé
La survie des femelles d’Anopheles gambiae s.s à l’intérieur de deux types de maisons villageoises (toiture en chaume ou en tôles) a été étudiée en relation avec l’alimentation et les conditions microclimatiques rencontrées à l’intérieur. Deux groupes de 20–30 femelles obtenues en conditions de laboratoire, âgées d’1 jour, ont été maintenus en cages dans les maisons à toiture en chaumes (n = 2) et dans des maisons à toiture en tôles (n = 2); ils ont été nourris chaque jour, un groupe avec du glucose à 10% et l’autre avec du sang humain. Pendant toute la durée de l’expérience, les températures et les humidités relatives intérieures sont enregistrées et les moustiques sont observés chaque jour jusqu’à leur mort. L’expérience est répétée trois fois. Il n’y a pas de différence significative entre la température moyenne (P = 0,93) et l’humidité relative moyenne (P = 0,099) des deux types de maisons, bien que les maisons avec la toiture en tôles enregistrent des pics de températures plus élevées. Une analyse de survie selon la méthode de Kaplan-Meier montre que la durée moyenne de survie des moustiques est de 8 et 10 jours dans les deux maisons à toiture en chaume et de 7 et 10 jours dans les deux maisons à toiture en tôles pour les moustiques se nourrissant de sang et d’eau sucrée respectivement. La différence de durée moyenne de survie des moustiques maintenues dans des maisons identiques est due uniquement au régime alimentaire. L’analyse par régression de Cox montre que le régime alimentaire influence significativement la probabilité de survie (P = 0,0001), avec des moustiques survivants plus longtemps avec des repas de sucre qu’avec des repas de sang. Les facteurs microclimatiques à l’intérieur des maisons influencent également significativement la survie des moustiques. Bien que des températures plus élevées aient été enregistrées dans les maisons à toiture en tôles, la survie des moustiques n’est pas significativement différentes de celle observée dans les maisons à toiture en chaume. Cependant, l’influence de ces températures sur le développement du parasite de la malaria dans le vecteur doit être étudiée.
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Okech, B.A., Gouagna, L.C., Knols, B.G.J. et al. Influence of indoor microclimate and diet on survival of Anopheles gambiae s.s. (Diptera: Culicidae) in village house conditions in western Kenya. Int J Trop Insect Sci 24, 207–212 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1079/IJT200427
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1079/IJT200427
Key words
- mosquito
- indoor survival
- house construction material
- Anopheles gambiae
- indoor microclimate
- western Kenya