BIONOMICS AND ECOLOGY OF ANOPHELES LITORALIS ON BONGAO ISLAND, TAWI-TAWI PROVINCE, PHILIPPINES: IMPLICATIONS FOR VECTOR CONTROL

摘要

Entomological surveys were conducted to identify Anopheles malaria vector species, their feeding and resting behaviors, and characterization of larval habitats on Bongao Island, Tawi-tawi Province, in July and November, 2007. Survey parameters included all-evening human-landing collections (HLC), evening buffalo-baited trap (BBT) collections, daytime indoor and outdoor adult resting collections, adult female age-grading, identification of natural Plasmodium infections in mosquitoes, larval habitat identification and physical/biological characterization, and adult insecticide susceptibility assays. Both surveys revealed the predominant and putative malaria vector species on Bongao Island is Anopheles litoralis. Anopheles flavirostris was collected on only one occasion. The HLC during the July survey produced approximately 4 mosquitoes/humanight (mhn). The November survey yielded 1.27 mhn due, in part, to inclement weather conditions during time of sampling. Anopheles litoralis host seeking behavior occurred throughout the evening (06:00 (PM)-06:00 (AM)) with peak biting between 10:00 PM and 04:00 AM. This species exhibited stronger zoophilic behavior based on comparison of HLC and BBT data. HLC showed a slightly greater exophagic (outdoor) behavior (1.4:1 ratio). During the July collection, an older adult population was present (75% parous) compared to the lower numbers of An. litoralis dissected in November (25% parous). Albeit a small sample size (n=19), 10.5% of An. litoralis dissected contained midgut oocysts of Plasmodium. Daytime adult resting harborages included biotic and abiotic sites in and around partially shaded, brackish water habitats where immature stages were common. Anopheles litoralis was found susceptible to pirimiphos-methyl and four different synthetic pyrethroids. This survey provides further epidemiological evidence of the importance of An. litoralis in malaria transmission on Bongao Island, and presumably throughout much of the Sulu Archipelago in the southern Philippines. Published observations of this species remain very limited and further investigations on the bionomics and epidemiological importance of this species are needed. Both ecological and human factors in malaria transmission are presented with implications for improved control of An. litoralis and prevention of infection.