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Response to chemical attractants and host seeking behavior of Anopheles Meigen spp. (Diptera: Culicidae) in a malaria endemic area of Bolívar State, Venezuela

Abstract:

The efficiency of the Mosquito Magnet Liberty PlusTM (MMLP) trap was evaluated baited with the chemical attractants 1-octen-3-ol (octenol) and Lurex3M (L-lactic acid) together with carbon dioxide (CO2) to collect anophelines in the Amerindian village Boca de Nichare, Sucre municipality, Bolívar State, Venezuela. The trap was operated between 18:00 and 06: hours, 10 nights per month for four months (July-October 2015), the attractants were alternated nightly. To determine the host seeking behavior of anophelines, the trap cage was changed every 4 hours. Five species of Anopheles and four of Culicinae were collected; Anopheles (Nyssorhynchus) darlingi Root and Anopheles oswaldoi (Peryassú) sensu lato were the most abundant species collected. The Align Rank Transform (ART) test for nonparametric ANOVA for the variable attractant and its interactions with species and hour interval were not significant (p > 0.05). An. darlingi and An. oswaldoi s.l. showed contrasting host seeking activity: An. darlingi showed a peak between 22:00 and 02:00 hours, while in An. oswaldoi s.l. there was a steady increase in activity up to the interval 02:00-06:00 hours. The MMLP trap baited either with octenol or Lurex is an alternative method for entomological surveillance in remote Amerindian malaria endemic areas. The biting activity of the vectors An. darlingi and An. oswaldoi s.l. suggests that the use of long-lasting insecticide treated nets could be an effective method to control the transmission of malaria in this area.