Distribution and phylogenetic diversity of Anopheles species in malaria endemic areas of Honduras in an elimination setting
Background : Anopheles mosquitoes are the vectors of malaria, one of the most important infectious diseases in the tropics. More than 500 Anopheles species have been described worldwide, and more than 30 are considered a public health problem. In Honduras, information on the distribution of Anopheles spp. and its genetic diversity is scarce. This study aimed to describe the distribution and genetic diversity of Anopheles mosquitoes in Honduras.
Methods : Mosquitoes were captured in 8 locations in 5 malaria endemic departments during 2019. Two collectionmethods were used. Adult anophelines were captured outdoors using CDC light traps and by aspiration of mosquitoes at rest. The morphological identification was performed using taxonomic keys. Genetic analyses included the sequencing of a partial region of the cytochrome oxidase I gene (COI) and the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2).
Results : A total of 1320 anophelines were collected and identified through morphological keys. Seven Anopheles species were identified. Anopheles albimanus was the most widespread and abundant species (74.02%). To confirm the morphological identification of the specimens, 175 and 122 sequences were obtained for COI and ITS2 respectively. Both markers confirmed the morphological identification. COI showed a greater nucleotide diversity than ITS2 in all species. High genetic diversity was observed within the populations of An. albimanus while An. darlingi proved to be a highly homogeneous population. Phylogenetic analyses revealed clustering patterns in An. darlingi and An. neivai in relation to specimens from South America. New sequences for An. crucians , An. vestitipennis , and An. neivai are reported in this study.
Conclusions : Here we report the distribution and genetic diversity of Anopheles species in endemic areas of malaria transmission in Honduras. According to our results, both taxonomic and molecular approaches are useful tools in the identification of anopheline mosquitoes. However, both molecular markers differ in their ability to detect intraspecific genetic diversity. These results provide supporting data for a better understanding of the distribution of malaria vectors in Honduras.
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Posted 27 May, 2020
On 01 Jul, 2020
On 19 May, 2020
On 18 May, 2020
On 18 May, 2020
On 14 May, 2020
On 17 Apr, 2020
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On 16 Apr, 2020
On 06 Apr, 2020
Received 27 Mar, 2020
Received 27 Mar, 2020
Received 16 Mar, 2020
On 05 Mar, 2020
On 04 Mar, 2020
On 03 Mar, 2020
Invitations sent on 02 Mar, 2020
On 26 Feb, 2020
On 26 Feb, 2020
On 25 Feb, 2020
On 25 Feb, 2020
Distribution and phylogenetic diversity of Anopheles species in malaria endemic areas of Honduras in an elimination setting
Posted 27 May, 2020
On 01 Jul, 2020
On 19 May, 2020
On 18 May, 2020
On 18 May, 2020
On 14 May, 2020
On 17 Apr, 2020
On 16 Apr, 2020
On 16 Apr, 2020
On 06 Apr, 2020
Received 27 Mar, 2020
Received 27 Mar, 2020
Received 16 Mar, 2020
On 05 Mar, 2020
On 04 Mar, 2020
On 03 Mar, 2020
Invitations sent on 02 Mar, 2020
On 26 Feb, 2020
On 26 Feb, 2020
On 25 Feb, 2020
On 25 Feb, 2020
Background : Anopheles mosquitoes are the vectors of malaria, one of the most important infectious diseases in the tropics. More than 500 Anopheles species have been described worldwide, and more than 30 are considered a public health problem. In Honduras, information on the distribution of Anopheles spp. and its genetic diversity is scarce. This study aimed to describe the distribution and genetic diversity of Anopheles mosquitoes in Honduras.
Methods : Mosquitoes were captured in 8 locations in 5 malaria endemic departments during 2019. Two collectionmethods were used. Adult anophelines were captured outdoors using CDC light traps and by aspiration of mosquitoes at rest. The morphological identification was performed using taxonomic keys. Genetic analyses included the sequencing of a partial region of the cytochrome oxidase I gene (COI) and the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2).
Results : A total of 1320 anophelines were collected and identified through morphological keys. Seven Anopheles species were identified. Anopheles albimanus was the most widespread and abundant species (74.02%). To confirm the morphological identification of the specimens, 175 and 122 sequences were obtained for COI and ITS2 respectively. Both markers confirmed the morphological identification. COI showed a greater nucleotide diversity than ITS2 in all species. High genetic diversity was observed within the populations of An. albimanus while An. darlingi proved to be a highly homogeneous population. Phylogenetic analyses revealed clustering patterns in An. darlingi and An. neivai in relation to specimens from South America. New sequences for An. crucians , An. vestitipennis , and An. neivai are reported in this study.
Conclusions : Here we report the distribution and genetic diversity of Anopheles species in endemic areas of malaria transmission in Honduras. According to our results, both taxonomic and molecular approaches are useful tools in the identification of anopheline mosquitoes. However, both molecular markers differ in their ability to detect intraspecific genetic diversity. These results provide supporting data for a better understanding of the distribution of malaria vectors in Honduras.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5