Entomological characteristics of malaria transmission in Manhiça, a rural area in southern Mozambique

Abstract

From October 1997 to September 1998, an entomological survey was carried out in Manhiça, Mozambique, to describe the anopheline population and intensity of malaria transmission. Ten different huts were randomly selected for entomological surveillance throughout the year. CDC light trap collections were conducted during three nights each month. Additional knockdown spraying catches were carried out in the morning, after the last catch. A total of 17,245 Culicinae and 1,251 Anophelinae were collected during the study. There was substantial house to house variation and seasonality in the distribution of Anophelinae population, with a peak in April towards the end of the warm and rainy season. Four species of genus Anopheles (Diptera: Culicidae) were described: Anopheles funestus Giles, Anopheles tenebrosus Dönitz, Anopheles arabiensis Patton, and Anopheles merus Dönitz. An. funestus constitutes 72.3% of the anopheline population. The estimated sporozoite rate was 1.2% and the average entomological inoculation rate for the area was 15 infective bites per person per year.