Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-v9fdk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T11:45:11.844Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A study of the age-composition of populations of Anopheles gambiae Giles and A. funestus Giles in North-Eastern Tanzania

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

M. T. Gillies  and
T. J. Wilkes
M. T. Gillies
Affiliation:
East African Institute of Malaria and Vector-borne Diseases, Amani, Tanga, Tanzania
T. J. Wilkes
Affiliation:
East African Institute of Malaria and Vector-borne Diseases, Amani, Tanga, Tanzania
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Polovodova's technique for determining the physiological age of mosquitos was used in a study in 1962–64 of the age-composition of populations of Anopheles gambiae Giles and A. funestus Giles resting in houses in two areas of Tanzania. One area was around Muheza, 25 miles from the coast, where the climate is humid and equable, and the other was around Gonja, 80 miles inland, where hardly any rain falls for five months of the year.

It was found that the age-composition was almost identical in populations of A. gambiae and A. funestus at Muheza, about 20 and 23 per cent., respectively, being 3-parous and older and 1 per cent. 7-parous and older in both species. At Gonja, the population of A. gambiae was much younger, 14 per cent, being 3-parous and older and only 0·3 per cent. 7-parous and older. The oldest mosquitos found at Muheza included one 12-parous female of A. gambiae and one female of A. funestus believed to have laid eggs 14 times. No examples of A. gambiae older than 8-parous were found at Gonja.

Dissections to determine the condition of the ovariolar sacs in A. gambiae at Gonja showed that in 87 per cent, of freshly fed parous females an interval of at least 24 hours had occurred since oviposition. At Muheza, 72 per cent, of individuals of this species in the cool season and 52 per cent, in the hot season were in a similar condition.

Marking and recapturing experiments were carried out with females of A. gambiae in order to be able to correlate calendar age with physiological age. The oldest recaptured was 34 days old and was found to have laid eggs 10 times. From data on 60 recaptures, it was concluded that, although there was some irregularity, the first gonotrophic cycle lasted 3–4 days and later cycles 3 days.

Age-specific sporozoite rates in A. gambiae rose from 4·1 per cent, for 3-parous to 32 per cent, for 7-parous and older females, and in A. funestus from 3·2 per cent, for 3-parous to 30 per cent, for 7-parous and older females. Most of the infected 3-parous females were gravid, indicating that few were infective at the beginning of the fourth cycle. On this account it was concluded that some 80 per cent, of malaria infections were transmitted in the fifth, sixth and seventh cycles.

Analysis of the distribution of age-groups indicated that both A. gambiae and A. funestus showed a deficiency of nulliparous females, presumably because greater numbers of this group rested outside houses. From the second to seventh cycles the proportions of successive age-groups in both species at Muheza declined regularly at a rate corresponding to a mortality of 37·8 per cent, per cycle for A. gambiae and 38·6 per cent, for A. funestus, or 14·6 and 15·0 per cent, per day, respectively. Beyond this age the mortality was considerably higher. At Gonja, the population of A. gambiae declined at a rate corresponding to a mortality of 51·5 per cent, per cycle for the second to sixth cycles, or 20·9 per cent, per day. Above this age, the mortality was estimated to be higher still.

From the regression of infectivity on age it was estimated that 6·8 and 6·1 per cent, of A. gambiae and A. funestus, respectively, became infected at each blood-meal.

These findings are discussed in the light of current epidemiological theory.

Type
Research Paper
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 56 , Issue 2 , December 1965 , pp. 237 - 262
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1965

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adam, J. P., Hamon, J. & Bailly-Choumara, H. (1961). Observations sur la biologie et le pouvoir vecteur d'une population d'Anopheles gambiae résistante à la dieldrine en Haute-Volta.—Bull. Soc. Path. exot. 53 (1960) pp. 1043–1053.Google Scholar
Coz, J., Gruchet, H., Chauvet, G. & Coz, M. (1962). Estimation du taux de survie chez les anophèles.—Bull. Soc. Path. exot. 54 (1961) pp. 1353–1358.Google Scholar
Davidson, G. (1955a). Measurement of the ampulla of the oviduct as a means of determining the natural daily mortality of Anopheles gambiae.—Ann. trop. Med. Parasit. 49 pp. 24–36.Google Scholar
Davidson, G. (1955b). Further studies of the basic factors concerned in the transmission of malaria.—Trans. R. Soc. trop. Med. Hyg. 49 pp. 339–350.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Davidson, G. & Draper, C. C. (1953). Field studies of some of the basic factors concerned in the transmission of malaria.—Trans. R. Soc. trop. Med. Hyg. 47 pp. 522–535.Google Scholar
Davidson, G. & Jackson, C. E. (1962). Incipient speciation in Anopheles gambiae Giles.—Bull. World Hlth Org. 27 pp. 303–305.Google Scholar
Detinova, T. S. (1949). Physiological changes in the ovaries of female Anopheles maculipennis. [In Russian.]—Med. Parasit., Moscow 18 pp. 410–420.Google Scholar
Detinova, T. S. (1953a). The age composition and epidemiological significance of populations of Anopheles maculipennis under the conditions found in the Province of Moscow. [In Russian.]—Med. Parasit., Moscow 22 pp. 486–495.Google Scholar
Detinova, T. S. (1953b). The duration of the gonotrophic cycle in the mosquito Anopheles maculipennis; the interval of time between oviposition and the next blood meal. [In Russian.]—Med. Parasit., Moscow 22 pp. 446–449.Google Scholar
Detinova, T. S. (1962). Age-grouping methods in Diptera of medical importance with special reference to some vectors of malaria.—Monogr. Ser. World Hlth Org. no. 47, 216 pp.Google Scholar
Detinova, T. S. & Gillies, M. T. (1964). Observations on the determination of the age composition and epidemiological importance of populations of Anopheles gambiae Giles and Anopheles funestus Giles in Tanganyika.—Bull. World Hlth Org. 30 pp. 23–28.Google ScholarPubMed
Giglioli, M. E. C. (1963). Aids to ovarian dissection for age determination in mosquitoes.—Mosq. News 23 pp. 156–159.Google Scholar
Giglioli, M. E. C. (1964). Some illustrations showing the morphology of the female reproductive organs of Anopheles gambiae melas and the structure of follicular dilatations in some Anophelines.—Trans. R. Soc. trop. Med. Hyg. 58 pp. 5–6.Google Scholar
Gillies, M. T. (1954). The recognition of age-groups within populations of Anopheles gambiae by the pre-gravid rate and the sporozoite rate.—Ann. trop. Med. Parasit. 48 pp. 58–74.Google Scholar
Gillies, M. T. (1957). Age-groups and the biting cycle in Anopheles gambiae. A preliminary investigation.—Bull. ent. Res. 48 pp. 553–559.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gillies, M. T. (1958). A modified technique for the age-grading of populations of Anopheles gambiae.—Ann. trop. Med. Parasit. 52 pp. 261–273.Google Scholar
Gillies, M. T. (1961). Studies on the dispersion and survival of Anopheles gambiae Giles in East Africa, by means of marking and release experiments.—Bull. ent. Res. 52 pp. 99–127.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gillies, M. T. (1964). The study of-longevity in biting insects.—Int. Rev. gen. exper. Zool. 1 pp. 47–76.Google Scholar
Gillies, M. T. & Wilkes, T. J. (1963). Observations on nulliparous and parous rates in a population of Anopheles funestus in East Africa.—Ann. trop. Med. Parasit. 57 pp. 204–213.Google Scholar
Gruchet, H. (1962). Etude de l'âge physiologique des femelles d'Anopheles funestus funestus Giles dans la région de Miandrivazo, Madagascar.—Bull. Soc. Path. exot. 55 pp. 165–174.Google Scholar
Hamon, J. (1963). Etude de l'âge physiologique des femelles d'anophèles dans les zones traitées au DDT, et non traitées, de la région de Bobo-Dioulasso, Haute-Volta.—Bull. World Hlth Org. 28 pp. 83–109.Google Scholar
Hamon, J., Chauvet, G. & Thélin, L. (1961). Observations sur les méthodes d'évaluation de l'âge physiologique des femelles d'anophèles.—Bull. World Hlth Org. 24 pp. 437–443Google Scholar
James, S. P., Nicol, W. D. & Shute, P. G. (1929). Habits of Anopheles in relation to their role in the spread of malaria. Importance of monthly differences in the length of life of A. maculipennis.—Trans. 7th Congr. far east. Ass. trop. Med. 2 pp. 712–717.Google Scholar
Macdonald, G. (1952). The analysis of the sporozoite rate.—Trop. Dis. Bull. 49 pp. 569–586.Google Scholar
Polovodova, V. P. (1949). The determination of the physiological age of female Anopheles, by the number of gonotrophic cycles completed. [In Russian.]—Med. Parasit., Moscow 18 pp. 352–355.Google Scholar
Pringle, G. (1965). Estimates of the parasite load carried by naturally-infected Anopheline mosquitoes in a highly malarious area.—Rep. E. Afr. Inst. Malar. 1963–1964 pp. 11–13.Google Scholar
Samarawickrema, W. A. (1962). Changes in the ovariole of Mansonia (Mansonioides) mosquitoes in relation to age determination.—Ann. trop. Med. Parasit. 56 pp. 110–126.Google Scholar
Shipitsina, N. K. (1962). On the gonotrophic cycle and age condition of populations of bloodsucking flies (Diptera, family Simuliidae) in the vicinity of Krasnoyarsk. Pt. I. Gnus cholodchovskii and Simulium reptans var. galeratum. [In Russian with English summary.]—Med. Parasit., Moscow 31 pp. 18–29.Google Scholar
Smith, A. (1958). Outdoor cattle feeding and resting of A. gambiae Giles and A. pharoensis Theo. in the Pare-Taveta area of East Africa.—E. Afr. Med. J. 35 pp. 559–567.Google Scholar