RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The human-baited host decoy trap (HDT) is an efficient sampling device for exophagic malaria mosquitoes within irrigated lands in southern Malawi
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2021.08.26.457772
DO 10.1101/2021.08.26.457772
A1 Kennedy Zembere
A1 James Chirombo
A1 Peter Nasoni
A1 Daniel P. McDermott
A1 Lizzie Tchongwe-Divala
A1 Frances M. Hawkes
A1 Christopher M. Jones
YR 2021
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2021/08/27/2021.08.26.457772.abstract
AB Irrigation schemes provide an ideal habitat for Anopheles mosquitoes particularly during the dry season. Reliable estimates of outdoor host-seeking behaviour are needed to assess the impact of vector control options and this is particularly the case for Anopheles arabiensis which displays a wide range of behaviours that circumvent traditional indoor-insecticide based control. In this study we compared the Host Decoy Trap (HDT) with the Human Landing Catch (HLC) and Suna trap in a repeated Latin square design in two villages on an irrigated sugar estate in southern Malawi. Over the course of 18 trapping nights we caught 379 female Anopheles, the majority of which were identified as An. arabiensis. Overall, the HDT and HLC caught a similar number of Anopheles per night with both methods catching significantly higher densities than the Suna trap across both villages. Regardless of the density of Anopheles mosquitoes in each village the HLC and HDT demonstrated broadly similar sampling efficacy. We conclude that the HDT is an effective sampling device for outdoor host seeking An. arabiensis in southern Malawi. The presence of An. arabiensis in irrigated lands during the dry season poses a challenge for ongoing indoor vector control efforts.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.