Chemical Parameters and Bacterial Communities Associated with Larval Habitats of Anopheles, Culex and Aedes Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in Western Kenya
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Date
2016
Authors
Onchuru, Thomas Ogao
Ajamma, Yvonne Ukamaka
Burugu, Marion
Kaltenpoth, Martin
Masiga, Daniel
Villinger, Jandouwe
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
International Journal of Tropical Insect Science
Abstract
Aquatic larval habitat conditions influence the development, fitness and vectorial
capacity of mosquitoes. In turn, human activities can influence these conditions and shape
mosquito vector distribution, thus affecting pathogen circulation and transmission. We
measured environmental factors (chemical and microbial) in mosquito larval habitats and
evaluated their potential as predictors for the occurrence of different mosquito species in
an arbovirus and malaria endemic region of western Kenya. We found significantly greater
proportions of Aedes aegypti mosquito larvae in ammonium and phosphate rich habitats,
suggesting that fertilizer usage could potentially increase aquatic habitat suitability and
Aedes vectored disease transmission. Anopheles gambiae larval habitats correlated
significantly with higher temperatures. However, none of the Culex species’ habitats
correlated with investigated variables, indicating greater larval plasticity compared to
Aedes or Anopheles. Profiling of bacterial communities by 16S rRNA pyrosequencing
revealed Proteobacteria, Bacterioidetes and Firmicutes as the major bacteria phyla
present in mosquito aquatic microhabitats. Although there were no correlations between
microbiota composition or diversity and larval species abundance, the dominant genera
of microbes detected in larval habitats were reported in larval and adult mid-guts,
suggesting that bacteria acquired from the larval habitats are transmitted to adult stages.
This study identified the chemical and bacterial composition of aquatic microhabitats that
are conducive to the development of different mosquito vectors in western Kenya. This
information can inform potential vector control strategies by assessing management of
breeding sites based on likely exposure to fertilizer, light and bacterial fauna
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Anopheles, Culex, Aedes, Aedes aegypti, Distribution, Ecology, Larval habitat, Bacteria, Ammonium, Phosphate
Citation
Onchuru, T. O., Ajamma, Y. U., Burugu, M., Kaltenpoth, M., Masiga, D., & Villinger, J. (2016). Chemical parameters and bacterial communities associated with larval habitats of Anopheles, Culex and Aedes mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in western Kenya. International Journal of Tropical Insect Science, 36(3), 146-160.