Malaria Control in War Areas
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DISTRIBUTION AND HABITS OF ANOPHELES FREEBORN/ ATLANTA, GEORGIA MAY, 1945 Total Man Hours 6,265 42,848 3.253 1,961 19,239 5.542 58,222 2.414 7.836 25,146 8,835 61,320 46,613 . 27.381 25.893 43.647 15.360 17.666 419.441 430,515 . * 5 7 4 2 1 4 O 3 3 Surf. 15 13 — 48 — 12 33 ... 163 Water Eliminated Aores 217 Fill C.Y. — — ... 4,190 847 — 12 15 10 — 114 — — 202 149 ... 33 5.572 10,769 Ft. 24 — — ... — — ... ... — — — ... — 785 — ... ... UndergroundDrainage Lin. 1.553 2.362 1.293 Ft. — 526 — ... 915 ... ... ... — ... — 18 — — 180 349 — 51 2,039 Ditch Lining Lin. 5.703 Work Total Cu.Yds. 285 4.284 103 1,380 3.601 523 10 2,479 4.828 926 418 6.383 3.192 1.350 10,237 970 3.550 3.760 48,27? 57.314 OPERATIONS — ... 60 ... ... ... ... ... — — — ... ... Ditching Dynamite 2.743 6,700 3.810 3,4oo 585 17.298 19,775 DRAINAGE New Ft. — 530 ... ... — ... ... — ... — ... — ... ... ... ... — 530 705 Drainage Lin. Mach. Hand 1.690 20,788 1,800 13.537 18,131 8.597 90 39.315 140 13.065 2,700 32,136 7.054 6,070 39.620 7.486 42,036 45.682 299,937 Major 1945 547.396 I Ft. 277 754 100 450 — 155 8q. 5.695 8,549 2,664 14,253 1.697 9,377 3.755 16,938 1.138 8,122 8,823 And 30, Cleaning Hundred 31.687 11,876 126, 157,171 1 1 1 1 Table — 1 ... ... 1 ... ... 1 — — — ... 6 ... ... 12 30 - Stumping GrubbingAcres Minor April Clearing .Veg. 2 95 1 1 49 29 46 1 68 18 91 18 15 7 38 Removal Surf Aores — 216 147 842 835 4 Larvicide, Dusted 16 236 ... 307 1,031 ... 216 — 86 58 ... — 2,208 217 ... 17 155 4,551 2,382 Treated Acres WORK Surfaces Oiled 27 1,775 71 ... 77 ... ... 3.226 — 668 95 45 — 51 550 ... 250 48 6,883 1.797 MCWA 32 396 35 ... ... 948 — 142 166 ... — ... 175 160 LARVICIDAL Used Paris Green Lbs. 573 1,200 2.071 272 6,170 3,379 ... ... ... — — ... Larvicide Oil Gals. 255 17,938 1,018 1,276 62,807 12,372 700 395 539 6,954 6.873 1.146 112,273 34.564 Spraying Pounds DDT Used 1,516 5.733 — ... 890 1.241 455 I89 — 1.911 2,100 226 270 ... 394 I.103 2,198 ... 18,226 2.793 Residual Number Houses Sprayed 4,581 23.695 ... ... 1.056 2.129 1.402 694 4,503 4.861 472 1,136 ... 681 3.831 7.166 ... 56,207 8.759 8 18 4 2 19 1 9 1 4 5 7 3 4 Areas in Opera- tion 12 16 10 19 14 156 145 I Carolina Rico Carolina Total STATE Alabama Arkansas California District Florida Georgia Kentucky Louisiana Maryland Mississippi Missouri North Oklahoma Puerto South Tennessee Texas Virginia Total March DISTRIBUTION AND HABITS of Anopheles freeborni Sr. Malariologist (R) S. B. Freeborn A vast amount of detailed infor- apparently without regard to the pres- mation has been accumulated concerning ence or absence of potential hosts. Anopheles quadrimacu1atus Say, the most Throughout the winter months they show important malaria vector in the southern considerable activity. They move about and eastern United States. Information in their shelters and frequently fly on the ecology of Anopheles freeborni to others. The writer has in mind Aitkin, the less known malaria vector of a sheltered railroad bridge and a the West and the western representative basement passage in the Sacramento of the “Maculipennis Complex,” is less Valley in California. All available voluminous and not so readily available. specimens were collected every week The.purpose of this paper is to summarize during the winter, but these collec- present knowledge of Anopheles freeborni. tions had little effect upon the size Recent studies on the transmission of succeeding catches. of imported malarias show that freeborni becomes infected even more readily WINTER HABITS than quadrimacul atus. It shares with During their period of semi-hiber- quadrimaculatus the doubtful “honors” nation, the mosquitoes are prone to bite of being the nearctic-anophe1ine most if they are in warm shelters. They will fond of human blood. Freeborni seeks even bite out in the open if the tem- the homes of man and the shelters of perature is sufficiently warm. However, animals. It bites avidly at dusk and at their attack is fitful, andcanbest be dawn. From night to night it migrates described as “nibbling.” Usually the from one shelter to another. Most of eggs do not develop as a result of these its traveling is done during the even- blood meals, the blood being utilized ing and in the morning hours. Pre- to build up the fat body. This results cipitin test data verify this type of when captive females are kept in unheated migration because they show slight cor- rooms during the winter. However, if relation between potential hosts at the specimens are kept in heated rooms and points where specimens are collected, fed occasionally, they will develop and and their previous blood meals. lay eggs. If ideal temperature and humidity conditions are maintained (as FALL MIGRATION in an insectary with temperature of 80°F. This species is definitely attuned and 80% humidity) continuous breeding to life in a semi-arid region of sea- results. Apparently the cessation in sonal rainfall. At the end of the dry oviposition is simply a reaction to autumn season, adults maturing late climatic conditions and is not to be in September or early in October seem interpreted as true hibernation or a to be obsessed with “wanderlust.” After diapause. mating, the females migrate for long Winter “nibbling” in heated homes distances by a process of infiltration. is conducive to malaria transmission. Some reach points as far as ten or Laboratory infections have been produced twelve miles from their breeding grounds. in human beings when the mosquito was They seek shelter in outbuildings, merely allowed to pierce the skin, then homes, cellars, and similar locations, removed as soon as the first bit of 1 blood moved up the proboscis. Winter species is represented entirely by larvae. biting of freeborni resembles the normal Developmental time for the larvae of biting of j4edes aegypti. They attack this generation varies. It depends the ankles of workers seated at desks mainly on the temperature, but usually and tables, suck blood for a few seconds, requires about a month. then, at the slightest movement of the It appears that this fall and spring worker, fly away without completing migration is an adaptation for a spe- their feeding. They attack repeatedly, cies dependent upon breeding waters so their chances for infecting many which constantly decrease in extent persons are exceedingly good. during the mosquito season. The migra- tion allows the mosquitoes to retrace EARLY SPRING EMERGENCE OF FEMALES the path the species has followed the During warm sunshiny days in Feb- preceding summer as water became pro- ruary the females emerge from their gressively scarcer. Freeborni shares winter shelters and bite viciously in this adaptation with A. sacharovi, its full daylight. They resume their fall counterpart in the Balkans and Near East. migration which was interrupted by rain and cold weather. Reports of their progress are recorded over their entire range. Sometimes these reports come from distances five or ten miles beyond areas where breeding has ever been re- corded for this species. The fall por- tion of the migration is in the nature of an infiltration. Each day for a period of two to four weeks, observers notice a few more mosquitoes present in each area. In contrast to this, the spring emergence and distribution flight closely resembles a serious flight Seepage Area Breeding freeborni of salt marsh mosquitoes, both in numbers and in vicious biting during broad day- light. During this flight period, the SUMMER HABITS eggs develop and are laid in all kinds The summer habits of freeborni also of breeding places, many of which are reflect the effect of its environment. entirely unfavorable to larval develop- In late May and early June the densities ment. Within two or three weeks all the of adults build up to a high peak in the adult females have disappeared, and the hot interior valleys. This is true later in the inter-mountain country. The life span of the adults decreases as the temperature increases and the relative humidity decreases (increase in saturation deficiencies). The result is a striking decrease in the actual number of adults present in any one place. Females seem to live long enough to oviposit, but not long enough to become infective with malaria parasites. This is undoubtedly the explanation for definite spring and fall periods of relatively high malaria transmission Heavy freeborni Breeding in Ponded Area in the Central Valley of California. 2 During the mid-season slump of adult floatage, emergent vegetation or algae. there is slackening in freeborni , a This species tolerates water that is larval rates. This may result from a warm to the touch, but not so hot as failure of some adult females to ovi- that in which A. pseudopunc tip ennis posit, but is probably due to an increase will thrive. It prefers clean, slightly in aquatic predators. This larval de- alkaline water. If its distribution crease does not correspond to the sudden decrease in adult densities. It is simply a smoothing off of the curve of increase in larval rates. As fall ap- proaches and humidities become greater, the densities of adults respond immedi- ately and the high points for the season occur in late September.