Isotopic evidence that aestivation allows malaria mosquitoes to persist through the dry season in the Sahel.

Publisher: Springer Nature Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101698577 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2397-334X (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 2397334X NLM ISO Abbreviation: Nat Ecol Evol Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: [London] : Springer Nature

Anopheles* ; Malaria*; Animals ; Estivation ; Seasons ; Mosquito Vectors

Data suggest that the malaria vector mosquito Anopheles coluzzii persists during the dry season in the Sahel through a dormancy mechanism known as aestivation; however, the contribution of aestivation compared with alternative strategies such as migration is unknown. Here we marked larval Anopheles mosquitoes in two Sahelian villages in Mali using deuterium ( ² H) to assess the contribution of aestivation to persistence of mosquitoes through the seven-month dry season. After an initial enrichment period, 33% of An. coluzzii mosquitoes were strongly marked. Seven months following enrichment, multiple analysis methods supported the ongoing presence of marked mosquitoes, compatible with the prediction that the fraction of marked mosquitoes should remain stable throughout the dry season if local aestivation is occurring. The results suggest that aestivation is a major persistence mechanism of An. coluzzii in the Sahel, contributing at least 20% of the adults at the onset of rains. This persistence strategy could influence mosquito control and malaria elimination campaigns.
(© 2022. This is a U.S. Government work and not under copyright protection in the US; foreign copyright protection may apply.)

Comment in: Nat Ecol Evol. 2022 Nov;6(11):1593-1594. (PMID: 36216904)
Comment in: Trends Parasitol. 2023 Jan;39(1):1-3. (PMID: 36470782)

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