Capture of high numbers of Simulium vectors can be achieved with Host Decoy Traps to support data acquisition in the onchocerciasis elimination endgame
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Talom, Blaise Armand Defo
Enyong, Peter
Cheke, Robert A
Djouaka, Rousseau
Hawkes, Frances M
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Onchocerciasis elimination is within reach in many countries but requires enhanced surveillance of the Simulium vectors of Onchocerca volvulus. Collection of sufficient numbers of adult Simulium to detect infective O. volvulus larvae is hindered by limited sampling tools for these flies. Here, we tested for the first time the Host Decoy Trap (HDT), an exposure free method previously developed for Anopheles vectors of malaria parasites, as a potential sampling tool for adult Simulium. In three replicates of a randomized Latin square experimental design, the HDT was compared to Human Landing Catches (HLC) and the Esperanza Window Trap (EWT). A total of 8,531 adult S. damnosum sensu lato blackflies (S. squamosum group) were found in catches from the three different trapping methods. The HDT (mean catch 533 ± 111) caught significantly more S. squamosum than the EWT (mean catch 9.1 ± 2.2), a nearly 60-fold difference. There was no significant difference between the HLC (mean catch 385.6 ± 80.9) and the HDT. Larvae indistinguishable from those of O. volvulus were dissected from 2.86% of HDT samples (n = 70) and 0.35% of HLC samples (n = 285); a single infective third-stage larvae (L3) was found during dissection of a sample from the HDT. Owing to its very high capture rate, which was comparable to the HLC and significantly greater than EWT, alongside the presence of infected flies in its catch, the HDT represents a potentially valuable new tool for blackfly collection in elimination settings, where thousands of flies are needed for parasite screening.
Date Issued
2021-09
Date Acceptance
2021-06-12
Citation
Acta Tropica, 2021, 221, pp.1-6
ISSN
0001-706X
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Start Page
1
End Page
6
Journal / Book Title
Acta Tropica
Volume
221
Copyright Statement
© 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
License URL
Identifier
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001706X21001996?via%3Dihub
Subjects
Tropical Medicine
06 Biological Sciences
11 Medical and Health Sciences
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
106020
Date Publish Online
2021-06-21