Githu, V., Baravuga, M. E., Mbarawa, A., Msuya, H. M., Mlacha, Y. P., Chaki, P. P., Kiware, S., Mirzai, N., Ferguson, H. and Govella, N. J. (2022) Comparative evaluation of different versions of exposure-free Mosquito electrocuting traps and Barrier screen trap for monitoring outdoor densities and biting time phenotypes by malaria and filariasis vectors in Tanzania. Parasites and Vectors, 15, 420. (doi: 10.1186/s13071-022-05549-4) (PMID:36369172) (PMCID:PMC9652990)
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Abstract
Background: Estimating human exposure to mosquito vectors is crucial for the prediction of malaria transmission and intervention impact. The human landing catch method is frequently used to directly measure estimate exposure rates; however, there has been an increasing shift from this method to exposure-free alternatives, such as the mosquito electrocuting traps (MET) and other approaches. While these latter methods can provide robust and representative values of human exposure and mosquito density, they often still require a human volunteer, which poses logistical challenges. Additionally, in the case of the MET, the early MET prototype (METe) required human volunteers to wear protective clothing that could be uncomfortable. We investigated two alternative trapping approaches to address these challenges by comparing the performance of the METe prototype to: (i) a modified caged MET prototype that offers full protection to users (METc) and (ii) a barrier screen trap (BST) designed to passively sample (host-seeking and blood-fed) mosquitoes outdoors without requiring a human participant. Methods: The relative performance of the METe, METc and BST were evaluated in a 3 × 3 Latin square field experiment design conducted in south-eastern Tanzania over 12 nights of sampling. The outcomes of interest were the nightly catch of mosquitoes and biting time estimates. Results: The METc and BST caught similar numbers of An. arabiensis as the METe (relative ratio [RR] = 0.76, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.42–1.39, P = 0.38 and RR = 1.13, 95% CI: 0.63–2.04, P = 0.69, respectively). Similarly, the METc and BST caught similar numbers of Culex spp. as the METe (RR = 0.87, 95% CI: 0.62–1.22, P = 0.42 and RR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.57–1.12, P = 0.199, respectively). All three trapping methods indicated a similar pattern of biting activity by An. arabiensis and Culex spp., characterized by biting starting in the early evening (18:00–22:00), peaking when people are typically sleeping (22:00–05:00) and dropping off drastically toward the morning (05:00–07:00). Conclusions: The modifications made to the METe design to improve user comfort and remove the need for protective clothing did not result in an underestimation of mosquito vector abundance nor misrepresentation of their biting time pattern. We recommend the METc for use over the METe design. Similarly, the BST demonstrated potential for monitoring malaria and filariasis vector densities in Tanzania.
| Item Type: | Articles |
|---|---|
| Additional Information: | This project was jointly funded by the UK Medical Research Council (MRC) and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) under the MRC/FCDO Concordat agreement, which is part of the EDCTP2 programme supported by the European Union through the African Research Leaders Award (Grant Ref: MR/T008873/1) awarded to NJG and HMF. This work was supported, in part, by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation [INV-016807] which provided salary support to SK during the writing of this manuscript. |
| Status: | Published |
| Refereed: | Yes |
| Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: | Mirzai, Mr Nosrat and Govella, Dr Nicodem and Ferguson, Professor Heather |
| Authors: | Githu, V., Baravuga, M. E., Mbarawa, A., Msuya, H. M., Mlacha, Y. P., Chaki, P. P., Kiware, S., Mirzai, N., Ferguson, H., and Govella, N. J. |
| College/School: | College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine |
| Journal Name: | Parasites and Vectors |
| Publisher: | BioMed Central |
| ISSN: | 1756-3305 |
| ISSN (Online): | 1756-3305 |
| Copyright Holders: | Copyright © 2022 The Authors |
| First Published: | First published in Parasites and Vectors 15: 420 |
| Publisher Policy: | Reproduced under a Creative Commons license |
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