3 research outputs found
The genetic basis of host preference and resting behavior in the major African malaria vector, Anopheles arabiensis
Malaria transmission is dependent on the propensity of Anopheles mosquitoes to bite
humans (anthropophily) instead of other dead end hosts. Recent increases in the usage of
Long Lasting Insecticide Treated Nets (LLINs) in Africa have been associated with reductions in highly anthropophilic and endophilic vectors such as Anopheles gambiae s.s., leaving species with a broader host range, such as Anopheles arabiensis, as the most
prominent remaining source of transmission in many settings. An. arabiensis appears to be
more of a generalist in terms of its host choice and resting behavior, which may be due to
phenotypic plasticity and/or segregating allelic variation. To investigate the genetic basis of host choice and resting behavior in An. arabiensis we sequenced the genomes of 23
human-fed and 25 cattle-fed mosquitoes collected both in-doors and out-doors in the Kilombero Valley, Tanzania. We identified a total of 4,820,851 SNPs, which were used to conduct the first genome-wide estimates of “SNP heritability”for host choice and resting
behavior in this species. A genetic component was detected for host choice (human vs cow
fed; permuted P = 0.002), but there was no evidence of a genetic component for resting
behavior (indoors versus outside; permuted P = 0.465). A principal component analysis
(PCA) segregated individuals based on genomic variation into three groups which were
characterized by differences at the 2Rb and/or 3Ra paracentromeric chromosome inversions. There was a non-random distribution of cattle-fed mosquitoes between the PCA clusters, suggesting that alleles linked to the 2Rb and/or 3Ra inversions may influence host
choice. Using a novel inversion genotyping assay, we detected a significant enrichment of
the standard arrangement (non-inverted) of 3Ra among cattle-fed mosquitoes (N = 129)
versus all non-cattle-fed individuals. Thus, tracking the frequency of the 3Ra in An. arabiensis populations may be of use to infer selection on host choice behavior within these vector populations; possibly in response to vector control. Controlled
host-choice assays are needed to discern whether the observed genetic component has a
direct relationship with innate host preference. A better understanding of the genetic basis
for host feeding behavior in An. arabiensis may also open avenues for novel vector control
strategies based on driving genes for zoophily into wild mosquito populations
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Emergence of behavioural avoidance strategies of malaria vectors in areas of high LLIN coverage in Tanzania
Despite significant reductions in malaria transmission across Africa since 2000, progress is stalling. This has been attributed to the development of insecticide resistance and behavioural adaptations in malaria vectors. Whilst insecticide resistance has been widely investigated, there is poorer understanding of the emergence, dynamics and impact of mosquito behavioural adaptations. We conducted a longitudinal investigation of malaria vector host choice over 3 years and resting behaviour over 4 years following a mass long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) distribution in Tanzania. By pairing observations of mosquito ecology with environmental monitoring, we quantified longitudinal shifts in host-choice and resting behaviour that are consistent with adaptation to evade LLINs. The density of An. funestus s.l., declined significantly through time. In tandem, An. arabiensis and An. funestus s.l. exhibited an increased rate of outdoor relative to indoor resting; with An. arabiensis reducing the proportion of blood meals taken from humans in favour of cattle. By accounting for environmental variation, this study detected clear evidence of intra-specific shifts in mosquito behaviour that could be obscured in shorter-term or temporally-coarse surveys. This highlights the importance of mosquito behavioural adaptations to vector control, and the value of longer-term behavioural studies