TITLE:
Anopheles leesoni Evans 1931, a Member of the Anopheles funestus Group, Is a Potential Malaria Vector in Cameroon
AUTHORS:
Edmond Kopya, Cyrille Ndo, Landre Djamouko-Djonkam, Leslie Nkahe, Parfait Awono-Ambene, Flobert Njiokou, Charles Sinclair Wondji, Christophe Antonio-Nkondjio
KEYWORDS:
Anopheles funestus Group, Anopheles leesoni, Plasmodium falciparum, Malaria, Transmission, Cameroon
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Entomology,
Vol.10 No.1,
January
13,
2022
ABSTRACT: Background: Understanding the biology of Anopheles malaria vector species is essential to planning effective
and sustainable malaria control strategies in endemic countries. This study
reported the implication of Anopheles
leesoni in malaria transmission in Cameroon, Central Africa. Methods: Mosquitoes were collected in three
localities from May 2015 to March 2018 using electric aspirators and Centers
for Disease Control light traps (CDC-LT). Anopheles
funestus sensu lato (s.l.)
mosquitoes were identified as species using polymerase chain reaction assay
(PCR). Furthermore, Plasmodium falciparum infection status was determined using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Results: A
total of 12,744 Anopheles mosquitoes
were collected by electric aspirator (N = 4844) and CDC-LT (N = 7900). Anopheles
funestus s.l. (86.95%) was the major species and the main malaria vector in rural savannah
and rural forest sites followed by A. gambiae s.l. (13.05%) whereas in urban areas, A. gambiae s.l.
was by far the most abundant representing 91.45% of Anopheles mosquitoes collected. Two members of the A. funestus group were identified among 1389 analysed by PCR: 1307 A. funestus sensu stricto (s.s.) (94.10%) and 82 A. leesoni (5.9%). Plasmodium
falciparum infection rate was 21.04% in A. funestus s.s. For the first time, A. leesoni was found positive
for P. falciparum (infection rate: 10.98%) in Cameroon. Conclusion: A very high P. falciparum infection rate
was observed in this study in A. funestus s.s., highlighting its high implication in malaria
transmission in Cameroon. Furthermore, the detection of P. falciparum infection in A. leesoni calls for more
attention towards this neglected vector species.