A review of historical trends in Anopheles gambiae Giles (Diptera: Culicidae) complex composition, collection trends and environmental effects from 2009 to 2021 in Mpumalanga province, South Africa.
Kayla P Noeth, Maria L Kaiser, Thabo Mashatola, Yael L Dahan-Moss, P Avhatakali Matamba, Belinda Spillings, Riann Christian, Erika Erlank, B Power Tshikae, Eunice Jamesboy, Silindile Sibambo, Busisiwe G Nkosi, Brian T Silawu, Lazarus J Mkhabela, Fanuel S Ndlovu, Thembekile P Mgwenya, Maureen Coetzee, Basil D Brooke, Lizette L Koekemoer, Givemore Munhenga, Shüné V Oliver
Author Information
Kayla P Noeth: Centre for Emerging Zoonotic & Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa. ORCID
Maria L Kaiser: Centre for Emerging Zoonotic & Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Thabo Mashatola: Centre for Emerging Zoonotic & Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Yael L Dahan-Moss: Centre for Emerging Zoonotic & Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa.
P Avhatakali Matamba: Centre for Emerging Zoonotic & Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Belinda Spillings: Wits Research Institute for Malaria, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Riann Christian: Centre for Emerging Zoonotic & Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Erika Erlank: Centre for Emerging Zoonotic & Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa.
B Power Tshikae: Centre for Emerging Zoonotic & Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Eunice Jamesboy: Centre for Emerging Zoonotic & Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Silindile Sibambo: Malaria Elimination Programme, Mpumalanga Department of Health, Nelspruit, South Africa.
Busisiwe G Nkosi: Malaria Elimination Programme, Mpumalanga Department of Health, Nelspruit, South Africa.
Brian T Silawu: Malaria Elimination Programme, Mpumalanga Department of Health, Nelspruit, South Africa.
Lazarus J Mkhabela: Malaria Elimination Programme, Mpumalanga Department of Health, Nelspruit, South Africa.
Fanuel S Ndlovu: Malaria Elimination Programme, Mpumalanga Department of Health, Nelspruit, South Africa.
Thembekile P Mgwenya: Malaria Elimination Programme, Mpumalanga Department of Health, Nelspruit, South Africa.
Maureen Coetzee: Centre for Emerging Zoonotic & Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Basil D Brooke: Centre for Emerging Zoonotic & Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Lizette L Koekemoer: Centre for Emerging Zoonotic & Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa. ORCID
Givemore Munhenga: Centre for Emerging Zoonotic & Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Shüné V Oliver: Centre for Emerging Zoonotic & Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa.
South Africa is a frontline country for malaria elimination in the southern African region. It has three malaria-endemic provinces, each with its own transmission pattern. The elimination of malaria depends, in part, on controlling and/or eliminating vectors responsible for transmission. Sustained entomological surveillance is an important factor to consider when shifting from a control to elimination framework. The Ehlanzeni district in Mpumalanga province is a key entomological sentinel surveillance area. It is one of the malaria-endemic districts in South Africa with higher rates of malaria incidences. As such, entomological data about the Anopheles gambiae Giles (Diptera: Culicidae) complex have been collected in this province over a substantial period. These data are stored in a pre-existing institutional database. An analysis of the trends that can be observed from this database has not been performed before. This retrospective (longitudinal) analysis provides a summary of the An. gambiae complex vector composition in this region from 2009 to 2021. Routine surveillance data were correlated with climatic data (obtained from the NASA LaRC POWER project database) for the same period to assess the role of climatic factors in vector dynamics. This review also identifies a number of limitations in the data collection process across the sampling period and provides recommendations on how to strengthen the database going forward. The most abundant member of the An. gambiae complex since 2009 in the province was An. merus Dönitz followed by An. arabiensis Patton. Collection methods used showed that human landing catches were successful for collecting An. arabiensis, while pit traps were the most effective in collecting An. merus and An. quadriannulatus Theobald. The latter two species were mainly collected in spring, whereas An. arabiensis abundance was larger during autumn collections. Vector abundance was not significantly correlated with annual climatic data. The information gained from this database provides insights into the vector dynamics of the Ehlanzeni district of the Mpumalanga province.
