Laboratory investigation of the infection rate of <i>Anopheles gambiae</i> and <i>Anopheles funestus</i> in the transmission of <i>Wuchereria bancrofti</i>

Abstract

Laboratory-bred Anopheles gambiae and An. Funestus, mosquito vectors of lymphatic filariasis in parts of Africa, were fed on a Wuchereria bancrofti carriers of known microfilarial density after four days of adult life. Of the 180 mosquioes used for the experimens only 56(62.2%) of An. Funestus and 49(54.4%) of the An. gambiae actually fed on he carriers' blood. After 14 days post-infection period, 9(16.7%) harboured pre-infective L2 larval stages while 34(60.7%) of the engorged An. Funestus harboured infective L3 larval stages of W. bancrofti with mean infective L3 larval stage/mosquito of 3.06 ₫ 2.13 (mean ₫ S.E). Similarly at the post-infective period, 36(73.5) of the engorged An. Gambiae harboured L3 infective larval stages of W. bancrofti with a mean L3 larval stage/mosquito of 3.5 ₫2.26 (mean ₫ S.E). Only 4.1% of the mosquitoes harboured L2 pre-infective stages. Results showed that both species of Anopheles were susceptible to the local strain of W. bancrofti microfilariae as there was no significant difference in infection rates attributable to Anopheles species.

The Nigerian Journal of Parasitology Vol. 24 2003: 143-148