Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Department of Infectious, Parasitic and Immuno-Mediated Diseases, Unit of Vector-Borne Diseases and International Health, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy.
J Med Entomol. 2012 Jul;49(4):833-42. doi: 10.1603/me11252.
The Maremma Plain (central Italy) was hyper-endemic for malaria until the mid-20th century, when a national campaign for malaria elimination drastically reduced the presence of the main vector Anopheles labranchiae Falleroni. However, the introduction of rice cultivation over 30 yr ago has led to an increase in the An. labranchiae population and concern over possible malaria reemergence. We studied the impact of anthropogenic environmental changes on the abundance and distribution of An. labranchiae in Maremma, focusing on rice fields, the main breeding sites. Adults and larvae were collected in three main areas with diverse ecological characteristics. Data were collected on human activity, land use, and seasonal climatic and demographic variations. We also interviewed residents and tourists regarding their knowledge of malaria. Our findings showed that the most important environmental changes have occurred along the coast; An. labranchiae foci are present throughout the area, with massive reproduction strictly related to rice cultivation in coastal areas. Although the abundance of this species has drastically decreased over the past 30 yr, it remains high and, together with climatic conditions and the potential introduction of gametocyte carriers, it may represent a threat for the occurrence of autochthonous malaria cases. Our findings suggest the need for the continuous monitoring of An. labranchiae in the study area. In addition to entomological surveillance, more detailed knowledge of human-induced environmental changes is needed, so as to have a more complete database that can be used for vector-control plans and for properly managing emergencies related to autochthonous introduced cases.
意大利中部的玛雷玛平原曾高度流行疟疾，直到 20 世纪中叶，一场全国性的疟疾消除运动极大地减少了主要传播媒介拉布兰恰亚按蚊的存在。然而，30 多年前引入水稻种植导致拉布兰恰亚按蚊数量增加，引发了人们对可能出现疟疾再次流行的担忧。我们研究了人为环境变化对玛雷玛平原拉布兰恰亚按蚊丰度和分布的影响，重点关注主要繁殖地的稻田。在三个具有不同生态特征的主要区域采集成蚊和幼虫。收集了关于人类活动、土地利用以及季节性气候和人口变化的数据。我们还就疟疾知识询问了居民和游客。研究结果表明，最重要的环境变化发生在沿海地区；拉布兰恰亚按蚊的滋生地遍布整个地区，在沿海地区与水稻种植密切相关的大量繁殖。尽管该物种的数量在过去 30 年中急剧减少，但它仍然很高，再加上气候条件和配子体携带者的潜在引入，可能构成发生本地疟疾病例的威胁。我们的研究结果表明，需要在研究区域内对拉布兰恰亚按蚊进行持续监测。除了昆虫学监测外，还需要更详细地了解人为引起的环境变化，以便拥有更完整的数据库，用于控制病媒和妥善管理与本地引入病例相关的紧急情况。
