Differential contribution of Anopheles coustani and Anopheles arabiensis to the transmission of Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax in two neighboring villages of Madagascar

Goupeyou-Youmsi, J. M.; Rakotondranaivo, T.; Puchot, N.; Peterson, I.; GIROD, R.; Vigan-Womas, I.; Ndiath, M. O.; Bourgouin, C.

doi:10.1101/787432

bioRxiv · 10.1101/787432

Differential contribution of Anopheles coustani and Anopheles arabiensis to the transmission of Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax in two neighboring villages of Madagascar

Goupeyou-Youmsi, J. M.·Rakotondranaivo, T.·Puchot, N.·Peterson, I.·GIROD, R.·Vigan-Womas, I.·Ndiath, M. O.·Bourgouin, C.

View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

BackgroundMalaria is still a heavy public health concern in Madagascar. Few studies combining parasitology and entomology have been recently conducted despite the need for such information to design proper vector control measures. In a region of moderate to intense transmission of both Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax, we conducted a combined parasitology and entomology survey in two nearby villages, across a malaria transmission season from December 2016 to April 2017.\n\nMethodology/Principal findingsCommunity-based surveys were conducted in the two close by villages at three time points during a single malaria transmission season. Plasmodium carriage in the human populations was determined by Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDTs), microscopy and real-time PCR. Anthropophilic mosquitoes were captured by human landing captures and presence of Plasmodium sporozoites was assessed by robust Real Time PCR. Overall human malaria prevalence was 8.0% by RDT, 4.8% by microscopy and 11.9% by PCR, mainly due to P. falciparum detected in 92.2% of the PCR positive samples and Plasmodium vivax (5.7%). No significant differences in Plasmodium human carriage was observed between the 2 villages at any time point. Of the 1553 anopheline mosquitoes tested, 13 were found carrying Plasmodium sporozoites, the majority of them being captured outdoor. The mosquito sporozoite indices were not significantly different between the two villages. However, our entomological analysis revealed that Anopheles coustani was the main vector in one village, being responsible of 25.5 infective bites during the whole survey, whereas it was Anopheles arabiensis in the other village with 15 infective bites. In addition, we found a significant higher number of endophagic An. coustani and An. arabiensis in one village compared to the other.\n\nConclusions/SignificanceDespite similar human malaria prevalence in two close by villages, the entomological survey demonstrated the contribution of two different mosquito species in each village, and importantly the role of a suspected secondary malaria vector, An. coustani, as the main vector in one village. This, along with its higher endophagic rate in that village, highlights the importance of combining parasitology and entomology surveys for better targeting the actual local malaria vector. Such study should contribute to the malaria pre-elimination goal established under the 2018-2022 National Malaria Strategic Plan.\n\nAuthor SummaryMalaria is still a major health concern in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa such as Madagascar. In this study, we determined the contribution of malaria vectors in the transmission of Plasmodium parasites in two nearby villages in an area of moderate to high malaria transmission in Madagascar. We collected, during a single malaria transmission season, parasitological data in the human population and entomological data in the mosquito population, in order to evaluate Plasmodium carriage in these two populations. The results showed that despite similarity in human malaria prevalence and in vector species diversity in each village, the contribution of vectors was different between the two villages. An. arabiensis was the major vector in Ambohitromby while it was An. coustani that played this role in Miarinarivo. Importantly, this study is the first that clearly demonstrates that An. coustani could act as a major local vector in Madagascar. Such study should help deploying adapted malaria vector control and contributing to the malaria pre-elimination goal established under the 2018-2022 National Malaria Strategic Plan.

Source connections

Published article ↗

Explore related subjects

microbiology Preprint

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeX RIS

Goupeyou-Youmsi, J. M., Rakotondranaivo, T., Puchot, N., Peterson, I., GIROD, R., Vigan-Womas, I., Ndiath, M. O., Bourgouin, C.. 2019-09-30. Differential contribution of Anopheles coustani and Anopheles arabiensis to the transmission of Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax in two neighboring villages of Madagascar. https://doi.org/10.1101/787432

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related preprints

bioRxiv2026

Microbially conjugated bile acids differentially affect the lifecycle and pathogenesis of Clostridioides difficile

Clostridioides difficile is a Gram-positive bacterium that causes C. difficile infection (CDI). In healthy adults, it has been proposed that the gut microbiota provides colonization resistance against C. difficile by competition through nutrient limitation and antagonism through secondary bile acid metabolism, the latter of which is mediated by the deconjugation of host-derived bile acids with bacterial bile salt hydrolases (BSH). Recently, BSHs have also shown an ability to reconjugate non-canonical (i.e., not glycine or taurine) amino acids to sterol cores, resulting in novel microbially conjugated bile acids (MCBAs). MCBAs have been associated with the resolution of recurrent CDI, though the mechanism underlying these effects are not well understood. To address this gap, we synthesized 36 MCBAs with nine amino acids (cysteine, isoleucine, leucine, phenylalanine, proline, serine, tryptophan, tyrosine, and valine) conjugated to the primary and secondary bile acids found in the human gut (CA, DCA, CDCA, and LCA) and tested their impact on various stages of C. difficiles lifecycle including bacterial outgrowth, membrane integrity, sporulation, and toxin activity. We show that BSH-mediated amidation of bile acid sterol cores can either increase or decrease inhibitory effects on C. difficile in an amino acid-dependent manner. For example, serine MCBAs enhanced C. difficiles ability to grow in otherwise inhibitory bile acid concentrations, increased spore production, and elevated toxin activity. Tryptophan MCBAs increased inhibition. By demonstrating these variable effects, our work clarifies the molecular determinants of MCBA activity and highlights specific MCBAs as promising targets for the development of C. difficile microbial-based therapeutics.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2026

Magnetic organelle gene clusters enable bacterial growth and ATP homeostasis under oxidizing conditions

Biological organisms can produce magnetic nanoparticles made of magnetite to detect the Earth's magnetic field for orientation. The evolutionary mechanisms that led to the acquisition of this capacity remain unknown. The most ancient organisms known to perform magnetic orientation are magnetotactic bacteria. Under tight genetic control, they produce chains of magnetite nanoparticles in dedicated organelles to allow efficient navigation in aquatic environments containing molecular oxygen. Yet, these bacteria have been proposed to emerge before molecular oxygen became abundant on Earth, at a time when this navigation system could not have served its current function. Here, we show that gene clusters responsible of magnetite formation and organization enable resistance against hydrogen peroxide, a toxic oxygen-derived compound that was produced during the early stages of Earth's oxygenation when iron oxidation consumed molecular oxygen. Characterization of the nanoparticle's oxidation state supported the involvement of magnetite in resistance to hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress. These findings are compatible with an early emergence of magnetotactic bacteria, before natural waters became oxygenated. We propose a conceptual framework to explain the origin of magnetic orientation in bacteria, and offer tools to identify the initiation of Earth's oxygenation in a time-resolved manner.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2026

Identification and characterization of new P. aeruginosa phages using a surface receptor platform

Bacteriophages are of increasing interest for their potential use as alternatives to antibiotics for treating drug-resistant infections. Phage steering, specifically receptor-based steering, involves use of phages that bias the development of resistance in bacteria towards phenotypes such as reduced fitness. Phage therapy typically involves administering cocktails of phages with different targets to reduce the likelihood of resistance emerging. To ensure effective steering and cocktail design, there is a need to identify the receptors used by phages of interest, and to isolate phages that use diverse receptors. Here we describe a SURFAce Receptor (SURFAR) platform consisting of a set of defined Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains and mutants for rapid characterization of phage receptors. This platform can also be used to enrich for and isolate diverse phages from environmental samples, yielding novel phage genomes from wastewater. Using the SURFAR platform, two new phages were isolated and characterized: Dalewood, which targets both flagella and the conserved LPS outer core, and Bowman, a biofilm targeting phage capable of supressing growth of a subset of carbapenem-resistant clinical isolates. This tool helps to standardize the laborious but important task of phage receptor characterization, with the goal of expanding the known repertoire of P. aeruginosa phage receptors and phages.

microbiology↗