Diversity of Anopheles spp. (Diptera: Culicidae) in an area with autochthonous cases of malaria in the municipality of Nova Friburgo, state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Knowledge of the diversity of mosquitoes in the Atlantic Forest is very important for assessing changes in the pattern of activities of their populations, which until then were considered to have a preferentially wild habit. Malaria is one of the most prevalent diseases in the world, mainly in the tropics and remains endemic in the Amazon region, while in the extra-Amazon region there are outbreaks with isolated and sporadic cases. Between 2014 and 2018, 31 cases of autochthonous malaria were reported in the National Notifiable Disease System (SINAN) in 11 municipalities in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The conservation and increase of knowledge of Culicidae populations can only be achieved if the systematics and ecology of the group are studied more deeply. Six field campaigns lasting five days will be carried out (three in the dry season and three in the rainy season), collections of immature forms will be carried out using entomological shells, the water being poured into trays, and the larvae and pupae collected with the aid of a pipette. The capture of adults will be carried out with the help of a Castro catcher, CDC and Shannon light traps, after which they will be transferred to “cages”, where team members with manual suction tubes will capture the mosquitoes attracted by them. . The collected specimens will be transported to the Entomology Laboratory – Anthropozoonosis Research Management of the Noel Nutels Central Laboratory of the Rio de Janeiro State Health Department or the Diptera Laboratory of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute – Fiocruz, where they will be sorted and identified based on the direct observation of the morphological characters evident under the optical microscope and consultation of the respective descriptions/diagnoses of the spp, using dichotomous keys. After specific determination, all specimens will be incorporated into the Entomological Collection of Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, under the title “Coleção de mosquitoes Mata Atlântica, Rio de Janeiro”.

Project details

Vector Control

Jan 2021 — May 2023

Brazil