Affiliations 

  • 1 Faculty of Natural Sciences, Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Buckhurst Road, Ascot, SL5 7PY, UK. hayleylbrant@gmail.com
  • 2 Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Buckhurst Road, Ascot, Berkshire, SL5 7PY, UK
  • 3 Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 4 Department of Immunology and Infection, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, WC1E 7HT, UK
  • 5 Faculty of Sustainable Agriculture, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Locked Bag No. 3, 90509, Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia
  • 6 Faculty of Natural Sciences, Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Buckhurst Road, Ascot, SL5 7PY, UK
Malar J, 2016 07 19;15(1):370.
PMID: 27430261 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-016-1416-1

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Malaria cases caused by Plasmodium knowlesi, a simian parasite naturally found in long-tailed and pig-tailed macaques, are increasing rapidly in Sabah, Malaysia. One hypothesis is that this increase is associated with changes in land use. A study was carried out to identify the anopheline vectors present in different forest types and to observe the human landing behaviour of mosquitoes.

METHODS: Mosquito collections were carried out using human landing catches at ground and canopy levels in the Tawau Division of Sabah. Collections were conducted along an anthropogenic disturbance gradient (primary forest, lightly logged virgin jungle reserve and salvage logged forest) between 18:00 and 22:00 h.

RESULTS: Anopheles balabacensis, a vector of P. knowlesi, was the predominant species in all collection areas, accounting for 70 % of the total catch, with a peak landing time of 18:30-20:00 h. Anopheles balabacensis had a preference for landing on humans at ground level compared to the canopy (p 

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.