Non-destructive determination of age and species of Anopheles gambiae s.l. using near-infrared spectroscopy.

Full Abstract

Determining malaria vector species and age is crucial to measure malaria risk. Although different in ecology and susceptibility to control, the African malaria vectors Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto and An. arabiensis are morphologically similar and can be differentiated only by molecular techniques. Furthermore, few reliable methods exist to estimate the age of these vectors, which is a key predictor of malaria transmission intensity. We evaluated the use of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to determine vector species and age. This non-destructive technique predicted the species of field-collected mosquitoes with approximately 80% accuracy and predicted the species of laboratory-reared insects with almost 100% accuracy. The relative age of young or old females was predicted with approximately 80% accuracy, and young and old insects were predicted with > or = 90% accuracy. For applications where rapid assessment of the age structure and species composition of wild vector populations is needed, NIRS offers a valuable alternative to traditional methods.

Author information

Author/s: Mayagaya, Valeliana S (VS); Michel, Kristin (K); Benedict, Mark Q (MQ); Killeen, Gerry F (GF); Wirtz, Robert A (RA); Ferguson, Heather M (HM); Dowell, Floyd E (FE);

Affiliation: Ifakara Health Institute, Biomedical Unit, Ifakara Branch, Ifakara, Tanzania. vmayagaya(-atsign-)ihi.or.tz

Grants: (Agency:Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council) ; (Agency:Wellcome Trust)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Journal: The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene (Am J Trop Med Hyg), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2009-Oct; vol 81 (issue 4) : pp 622-30

Dates: Created 2009/10/09; Completed 2009/10/27;

PMID: 19815877, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 10/27/2009, IMS Date: )

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