Seasonal population changes and malaria transmission potential of Anopheles pharoensis and the minor anophelines in Mwea Irrigation Scheme, Kenya

Abstract

A study in 1984 and 1985 showed that Anopheles gambiae s.l. and An. pharoensis were the major anophelines in Mwea Irrigation Scheme, Kenya, constituting 83.86% and 15.69% of the catch respectively. Four minor species made up the remaining 0.45%. The irrigation phase of the rice cultivation cycle in August, which linked the flooding effects of the two rainy seasons, resulted in major population increases of An. pharoensis and enabled continuous breeding for up to 9 months per year. The average of mean monthly proportions of unfed, bloodfed, and gravid females was 26.6, 58.8, and 14.6% respectively. The Plasmodium falciparum sporozoite rates for An. pharoensis were 1.3% by ELISA and 0.68% by dissection, while those for An. funestus were 1.7% by ELISA and 1.25% by dissection. An. pharoensis can contribute to the epidemiology of Malaria in the Mwea area.