Entomological Profiles of Households in Plasmodium falciparum Case Foci and Comparison Areas in Grand’Anse, Haiti

TL;DR

This study examines the mosquito populations in Haitian households to understand malaria transmission and support elimination efforts.

Contribution

The study provides new entomological data on Anopheles mosquitoes in Haiti, highlighting their role in malaria transmission.

Findings

Anopheles albimanus was the most abundant mosquito species in Grand’Anse.

Higher numbers of blood-fed mosquitoes were found in high malaria transmission areas.

Anopheles albimanus samples were infected with both P. falciparum and P. vivax sporozoites.

Abstract

Hispaniola, which is shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic, remains the last island in the Caribbean that is still endemic for malaria, with Haiti bearing the highest caseload. Few studies have examined the ecology of malaria vectors in Haiti. Five species of Anopheles have been described on the island, but the exophilic Anopheles albimanus (An. albimanus) is considered the primary vector of malaria in Haiti. Households recruited for a case–control study profiling risk factors for symptomatic Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum) infections were approached to participate in an entomological study. The goal was to determine the bionomics of anopheline mosquitoes around the 32 participating households across varying malaria transmission settings. We assessed the characteristics of the Anopheles population using ultraviolet-light traps and larval surveys. Anopheles albimanus was the most abundant mosquito species identified in the Grand’Anse. Its abundance was higher in outdoor traps than in indoor traps and in areas with relatively high positivity based on rapid diagnostic test results. A greater proportion of blood-fed mosquitoes were found in higher transmission areas. Anopheles albimanus samples were found to be infected with both P. falciparum and Plasmodium vivax sporozoites. As Haiti aims for the elimination of malaria, disrupting localized residual malaria transmission will increasingly rely on focal vector control strategies.

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