Temporal and spatial variation in abundance of the malaria vector Anopheles (Anopheles) pseudopunctipennis in Northern Argentina

DANTUR JURI, M. J.; ZAIDENBERG, M.; CLAPS, G. L.; SANTANA, M. & ALMIRÓN, W. R.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Congreso; 56th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene; 2007

American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

Anopheles pseudopunctipennis is an important vector of malaria from Mexico to Argentina, yet very little is known about factors that control its distribution and abundance. Patterns of abundance of An. pseudopunctipennis and their relationship to climate variables were examined from monthly collections for four years in six rainforest locations in northwest Argentina, where this species is the principal malaria vector. A total of 5006 specimens was collected, the majority (98.3 %) from northern locations. Peaks in abundance occurred during spring in both northern and southern locations. Among climatic variables, maximum and minimum temperatures, average minimum humidity and accumulated precipitation were significant predictors of abundance of this species in north locations. In the south, only accumulated precipitation accounted for significant variation in abundance. A strong relationship was observed between abundance and latitude, An. pseudopunctipennis densities decreasing with increasing latitude. These relationships between geography, anopheline abundance and climatic variables contribute to a better understanding of the life cycle of this species in nature and, therefore, the improvement of local malaria control strategies.