Abstract: Mark-Drelease-Drecapture (MRR) experiments were conducted with emerging Anopheles gambiae s.l. and Anopheles funestus Giles at Jaribuni and Mtepeni in KiliÞ, along the Kenyan Coast. Of 739 and 1,246 Anopheles released at Jaribuni and Mtepeni, 24.6 and 4.33% were recaptured, respectively. The daily survival probability was 0.96 for An. funestus and 0.95 for An. gambiae in Jaribuni and 0.83 and 0.95, respectively, in Mtepeni. The maximum ßight distance recorded was 661 m. The high ...
Abstract: A study was carried out at Karima Village in the Mwea Rice Irrigation Scheme in Kenya to assess the impact of rice husbandry and associated land cover change for mosquito larval abundance. A multi-temporal, land use land cover (LULC) classification dataset incorporating distributions of Anopheles arabiensis aquatic larval habitats was produced in ERDAS Imagine version 8.7 using combined images from IKONOS at 4m spatial resolution from 2005 and Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM)™ classi...
Abstract: Synthetic versions of human derived kairomones can be used as baits when trapping host seeking mosquitoes. The effectiveness of these lures depends not only on their attractiveness to the mosquitoes but also on the medium from which they are dispensed.We report on the development and evaluation of nylon strips as a method of dispensing odorants attractive to the malaria vector, Anopheles gambiae s.s. (Giles).When a synthetic blend of attractants was dispensed using this method,sign...
Abstract: According to the World Health Organization’s reports, leishmaniases in humans are caused by 20 species of protozoa, belonging to the genus Leishmania1.The parasites are transmitted by the bite of a female tiny, 2–3 mm long insect vector, the phlebotomine sandfly1. Leishmaniasis endemic areas in Kenya are—West Pokot, Kitui, Machakos, Meru,Koibatek and Kajiado districts2–6. Kala-azar (Visceral leishmaniasis) in these endemic sites is transmitted by Phlebotomus martini (Dipter...
Abstract: Background & objectives: The number and productivity of larval habitats ultimately determine the density of adult mosquitoes. The biological and physicochemical conditions at the larval habitat affect larval development hence affecting the adult body size. The influence of biological and physicochemical characteristics on the body size of Anopheles gambiae was assessed in Jaribuni village, Kilifi district along the Kenyan Coast. Methods: Ten cages measuring 1 × 1 × 1 m (1 m3) wi...
Abstract: A better understanding of the oviposition behaviour of malaria vectors might facilitate development of new vector control tools. However, factors that guide aquatic habitat selection of gravid females is poorly understood. This study explored the relative attractiveness of similar artificial ponds (0.8 m2 ) aged at varying length prior to opening in such a way that wild Anopheles arabiensis could choose between ponds that were freshly set up, 4 or 17 days old to lay eggs. Physicoch...
Abstract: Background: Integrated vector management (IVM) remains a key strategy in the fight against vector-borne diseases including malaria. However, impacts of the strategy should be regularly monitored based on feedback obtained through research. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of IVM for malaria control in BotorTolay district, southwestern Ethiopia after three years (2016–2018) of IVM implementation. Method: Prior to the implementation of IVM, a survey of socio-dem...
Abstract: A possible malaria control approach involves the dissemination in mosquitoes of inherited symbiotic microbes to block Plasmodium transmission. However, in the Anopheles gambiae complex, the primary African vectors of malaria, there are limited reports of inherited symbionts that impair transmission. We show that a vertically transmitted microsporidian symbiont (Microsporidia MB) in the An. gambiae complex can impair Plasmodium transmission. Microsporidia MB is present at moderate p...
Abstract: Smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) face multifaceted and co-existing risks, such as human and animal diseases and pests. Even though smallholder farmers often experience these challenges simultaneously, interventions to address these challenges are often implemented in a piecemeal fashion. However, managing agricultural production constraints without alleviating human and livestock health burdens might not generate significant and sustained benefits to achieve the desi...
Abstract: Background: Within the last decades, there has been increasing research on the occurrence of chemicals of emerging concern (CECs) in aquatic ecosystems due to their potential adverse efects on freshwater organisms and risk to human health. However, information on CECs in freshwater environments in sub-Saharan countries is very limited. Here, we investigated the occurrence of CECs in snails and sediments collected from 48 sites within the Lake Victoria South Basin, Kenya, which have...
Abstract: Background: Management of arboviruses relies heavily on vector control. Implementation and sustenance of effective control measures requires regular surveillance of mosquito occurrences, species abundance and distribution. The current study evaluated larval habitat diversity and productivity, mosquito species diversity and distribution in selected sites along the coast of Kenya. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of mosquito breeding habitats, species diversity and distribution was ...
Abstract: Background: African swine fever (ASF) is an infectious transboundary animal disease which causes high mortality, approaching 100% in domestic pigs and it is currently considered as the most serious constraint to domestic pig industry and food security globally. Despite regular ASF outbreaks within Malawi, few studies have genetically characterized the causative ASF virus (ASFV). This study aimed at genetic characterization of ASFV responsible for the 2019 outbreak in northern Malaw...
Abstract: Background Malaria prevention in Africa is mainly through the use of long-lasting insecticide treated nets (LLINs). The objective of the study was to assess the effect of supplementing LLINs with either larviciding with Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) or community education and mobilization (CEM), or with both interventions in the context of integrated vector management (IVM). Methods The study involved a factorial, cluster-randomized, controlled trial conducted in Malindi...
Abstract: Background Mosquito-proofing of houses using wire mesh screens is gaining greater recognition as a practical intervention for reducing exposure to malaria transmitting mosquitoes. Screening potentially protects all persons sleeping inside the house against transmission of mosquito-borne diseases indoors. The study assessed the effectiveness of house eaves screening in reducing indoor vector densities and malaria prevalence in Nyabondo, western Kenya. Methods 160 houses were selecte...
Abstract: Evolutionary fitness concepts dictate that blood parasites should regulate their transmission success by enhancing the responsiveness of arthropod vectors to infectious hosts. We observed that the presence of trophozoite stages of Plasmodium falciparum in peripheral blood, combined with clinical malaria symptoms, actually reduced the attractiveness to Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes of one Kenyan male, relative to another. Their innate levels of attractiveness were restored within day...