Presence of species within the Anopheles gambiae complex in the Democratic Republic of Congo

• Published in: Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Vol. 110; no. 6; pp. 373 - 375
• Main Authors: Bobanga, Thierry, Umesumbu, Solange E., Mandoko, Alain. S., Nsibu, Célestin N., Dotson, Ellen B., Beach, Ray F., Irish, Seth R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Oxford University Press 01.06.2016
• Subjects: Animals; Anopheles - classification; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Humans; Insect Vectors - classification; Malaria - transmission; Mosquito Control; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Seasons; Species Specificity; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Anopheles coluzzii; Anopheles gambiae
• ISSN: 0035-9203; 1878-3503
• DOI: 10.1093/trstmh/trw035

Background Anopheles gambiae s.l. is the primary vector of malaria in the Democratic Republic of Congo, however, there is little data on the species from this complex present in the country. Methods This paper presents the species collected (as determined by PCR) between 2004 and 2011 in 16 locations across the country. Results and Conclusions The two species from the An. gambiae complex that were detected were An. coluzzii and An. gambiae s.s. An. gambiae s.s. was predominant in eastern DRC, whereas An. coluzzii was the main species found in several locations in Bandundu. The species were also found in sympatry in several locations (Kinshasa, Kisangani, Lodja). These results provide a basis for future work, which is needed to accurately describe the distribution of the An. gambiae complex species in DRC.