Mwendwa Kavinya, Mutuku Francis, Wambua Sammy, Nzaro Makenzi, Ndenga Bryson A, Agoi Kennedy, LaBeaud Angelle D, Bosire Carren
Department of Pure and Applied Sciences, Technical University of Mombasa, Mombasa 80100, Kenya.
Department of Environment and Health Sciences, Technical University of Mombasa, Mombasa 80100, Kenya.
Pathogens. 2025 May 21;14(5):505. doi: 10.3390/pathogens14050505.
is the primary vector of arboviral diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, and Zika, posing significant global health and economic challenges. The effective control of this mosquito species requires understanding its seasonality, feeding behavior, and ecological dynamics. Modern molecular techniques, such as amplicon metagenomic sequencing, provide insights into vector-host interactions and feeding patterns. This study investigated the temporal variation of abundance and its blood meal sources in coastal and western Kenya over 16 months. A total of 64,360 mosquitoes were collected, with comprising 10.9% (7035/64,360). Coastal sites had a higher proportion (64.7%) of than western Kenya. Seasonal variation in abundance was observed, with peaks during the long rainy season and decline during the dry season. Blood meal analysis identified 15 vertebrate hosts, with humans being the primary source (86.6-95.9%). Other hosts included domestic animals such as turkey, sheep, cow, goat, and chicken. These findings highlight the role of rainfall in arboviral disease transmission and 's strong preference for human hosts. Additionally, this study demonstrates the cost-effectiveness of group testing for identifying blood meal sources, with implications for public health interventions.
是登革热、基孔肯雅热、黄热病和寨卡病毒病等虫媒病毒疾病的主要传播媒介,给全球健康和经济带来重大挑战。有效控制这种蚊子需要了解其季节性、摄食行为和生态动态。现代分子技术,如扩增子宏基因组测序,为媒介-宿主相互作用和摄食模式提供了见解。本研究调查了肯尼亚沿海和西部16个月内蚊子数量的时间变化及其血餐来源。共收集了64360只蚊子,其中[具体蚊子种类]占10.9%(7035/64360)。沿海地区的[具体蚊子种类]比例(64.7%)高于肯尼亚西部。观察到蚊子数量的季节性变化,在长雨季达到峰值,在旱季下降。血餐分析确定了15种脊椎动物宿主,人类是主要来源(86.6-95.9%)。其他宿主包括家禽,如火鸡、绵羊、牛、山羊和鸡。这些发现突出了降雨在虫媒病毒疾病传播中的作用以及[具体蚊子种类]对人类宿主的强烈偏好。此外,本研究证明了分组检测在识别血餐来源方面的成本效益,对公共卫生干预具有启示意义。