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Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 70(1), 2004, pp. 33-37
Copyright © 2004 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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COMPARATIVE FIELD EVALUATION OF THE MBITA TRAP, THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL LIGHT TRAP, AND THE HUMAN LANDING CATCH FOR SAMPLING OF MALARIA VECTORS IN WESTERN KENYA

EVAN M. MATHENGE, GEORGE O. OMWERI, LUCY W. IRUNGU, PAUL N. NDEGWA, ELIZABETH WALCZAK, TOM A. SMITH, GERRY F. KILLEEN, AND BART G. J. KNOLS
International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Mbita Point Research and Training Centre, Mbita Point, Kenya; Department of Zoology, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya; Vector Biology Research and Control Centre, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kisumu, Kenya; Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, Swiss Tropical Institute, Basel, Switzerland; Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University and Research Centre, Wageningen, The Netherlands

The mosquito sampling efficiency of a new bed net trap (the Mbita trap) was compared with that of the Centers for Disease Control miniature light trap (hung adjacent to an occupied bed net) and the human landing catch in western Kenya. Overall, the Mbita trap caught 48.7 ± 4.8% (mean ± SEM) the number of Anopheles gambiae Giles sensu lato caught in the human landing catch and 27.4 ± 8.2% of the number caught by the light trap. The corresponding figures for Anopheles funestus Giles were 74.6 ± 1.3% and 39.2 ± 1.9%, respectively. Despite the clear differences in the numbers of mosquitoes caught by each method, both the Mbita trap and light trap catches were directly proportional to human landing catches regardless of mosquito density. No significant differences in parity or sporozoite incidence were observed between mosquitoes caught by the three methods for either An. gambiae s.l. or An. funestus. Identification of the sibling species of the An. gambiae complex by a polymerase chain reaction indicated that the ratio of An. gambiae Giles sensu stricto to An. arabiensis Patton did not vary according to the sampling method used. It is concluded that the Mbita trap is a promising tool for sampling malaria vector populations since its catch can be readily converted into equivalent human biting catch, it can be applied more intensively, it requires neither expensive equipment nor skilled personnel, and it samples mosquitoes in an exposure-free manner. Such intensive sampling capability will allow cost-effective surveillance of malaria transmission at much finer spatial and temporal resolution than has been previously possible.

Received July 2, 2003. Accepted for publication September 3, 2003.

Acknowledgments: We thank the people of Lwanda village for allowing us to use their premises for the study. Christian Abuya, John Mahani, and Ken Mahani are thanked for participating in this study. Pamela Seda, Lawrence Omukuba, Basilio Njiru, Joseph Mwangi, Lucy Njeri, Gideon Misiani, Steve Osore, and David Oulo offered valuable technical assistance. Dr. Luna Kamau is thanked for allowing us to use her laboratory, reagents, and staff. Dr. Ulrike Fillinger offered financial assistance at a time it was most needed. George Sonye is thanked for contact setting in the community.

Financial support: This work was supported by World Health Organization/World Bank/UNDP/Special Program for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (project ID No. 980794), the National Institutes of Health (NIH-International Collaborations in Infectious Diseases Research project 5U19AI45511), the Fogarty International Center (ABC grant ID43TWØ1142) and the Swiss National Science Foundation (project N.° 31–59380.99)

Authors’ addresses: Evan M. Mathenge, International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Mbita Point Research and Training Centre, PO Box 30, Mbita Point, Kenya and Department of Zoology, University of Nairobi, PO Box 30197, Nairobi, Kenya, E-mail: emathenge{at}mbita.mimcom.net. George O. Omweri, International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Mbita Point Research and Training Centre, PO Box 30, Mbita Point, Kenya. Lucy W. Irungu and Paul N. Ndegwa, Department of Zoology, University of Nairobi, PO Box 30197, Nairobi, Kenya. Elizabeth Walczak, Vector Biology Research and Control Centre, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Kenya Medical Research Institute, PO Box 1578, Kisumu, Kenya. Tom A. Smith, Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, Swiss Tropical Institute, Socinstrasse 57, CH-4002, Basel, Switzerland. Gerry F. Killeen, Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, Swiss Tropical Institute, Socinstrasse 57, CH-4002, Basel, Switzerland and Ifakara Health Research and Development Centre, PO Box 53, Ifakara, Kilombero District, Tanzania. Bart G. J. Knols, Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University and Research Centre, PO Box 8031, 6700 EH, Wageningen, The Netherlands.






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