Sugar prevalence in Aedes albopictus differs by habitat, sex and time of day on Masig Island, Torres Strait, Australia

Background: Sugar feeding is a fundamental behaviour of many mosquito species. For Aedes albopictus, an important vector of dengue virus and chikungunya virus, little is known about its sugar-feeding behaviour, and no studies have been conducted on this in the southern hemisphere. This knowledge is pivotal for determining the potential of attractive targeted sugar baits (ATSBs) to control this important vector. Methods: The prevalence of sugar was assessed in 1808 Ae. albopictus from Masig Island, Torres Strait, Australia collected between 13 and 25 March 2020. Fructose presence and content in field-collected Ae. albopictus were quantified using the cold anthrone assay. Results: Significantly more male (35.8%) than female (28.4%) Ae. albopictus were sugar fed. There was a significant interaction between sex and time of day on the probability of capturing sugar-fed Ae. albopictus. For both sexes, fructose prevalence and content were higher in mosquitoes caught in the morning than in the afternoon. Female Ae. albopictus collected in the residential habitat were significantly more likely to be sugar fed than those collected in the woodland habitat. Conclusions: These findings provide baseline information about the sugar-feeding patterns of Ae. albopictus and provide essential information to enable an assessment of the potential of ATSBs for vector suppression and control on Masig Island, with relevance to other locations where this species occurs

Urban malaria may be spreading via the wind: here’s why that’s important

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Anopheles pharoensis and transmission of Plasmodium falciparum in the Senegal River delta, West Africa.

1. Anopheles pharoensis Theobald was found to be the prevalent man-biting anopheline mosquito in the central area of the Senegal River delta. 2. Blood-fed females of An. pharoensis were obtained during September-December 1987 from mosquito bednets in the village of Souhloul, near the Boundoum dam, 70 km NE of St Louis. 3. Dried mosquito specimens were identified morphologically and each thorax processed using monoclonal antibody against the circumsporozoite protein of Plasmodium falciparum. 4. Five An. pharoensis out of 912 examined were sporozoite positive, while ninety-eight An. gambiae Giles sensu lato were all negative. This finding strongly supports the local importance of An. pharoensis as a malaria vector. 5. Successful use of pyrethroid-impregnated bednets against malaria transmission in this situation has helped to achieve more than 90% reduction of malaria prevalenc