Executive Summary : | Koria and Bastar districts of Chhattisgarh state are highly malarious. Entomological surveys were carried out every month that included indoor and outdoor resting collections, pyrethrum spray sheet and larval collections. Blood fed Anophelines were sampled for studying host preference. Insecticide susceptibility tests were carried out to investigate the susceptibility status of malaria vector to various insecticides in use. Vector incrimination was done using PCR assay to detect malaria parasite infection in mosquitoes. Sibling species of the vectors were identified with the help of PCR and DNA sequencing methods. A total of 17 different Anopheles species were collected, out of which An. culicifacies was the predominant one. An. culicifacies is prevalent throughout the year showing seasonal peaks. This species was incriminated as the vector of malaria parasite in the study. Sibling species complex of an. culicifacies in the region mainly constituted of species C while in an. fluviatilis complex, species T was the most abundant one. Blood meal analysis of both an. culicifacies and an. fluviatilis revealed that they are primarily zoophilic. Breeding takes place mainly in stream, rocky pits and seepage water. Insecticide susceptibility tests showed that An. culicifacies is highly resistant to DDT and Malathion, showing variable resistance to Pyrethroids. |
Co-PI: | Dr. Gyan Chand, Scientist, National Institute for Research in Tribal Health (NIRTH), Madhya Pradesh, Dr. S. K. Chand, Scientist, National Institute for Research in Tribal Health (NIRTH), Madhya Pradesh, Dr. A. K. Mishra, Scientist, National Institute for Research in Tribal Health (NIRTH), Madhya Pradesh |