Vol. 6(9), pp. 142-150, August 2014 DOI: 10.5897/JPVB12.010 Article No: F4708A847025 Journal of Parasitology and ISSN 2141-2510 Copyright © 2014 Vector Biology Author(s) retain the copyright of this article http://www.academicjournals.org/JPVB Full Length Research Paper Biodiversity and ecology of Culicidae and Simuliidae probable vectors of infectious diseases in villages of the Sanaga mid valley, Cameroon: Influence of the Sanaga River Kuete Thomas1*, Nkoa Therese2, Tassen Fabien3, Baleguel Nkot Pierre4 and Same-Ekobo 1,5 Albert 1Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Douala, Cameroon. 2Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé 1, Cameroon. 3Faculty of Sciences, University of Yaounde 1, Cameroon. 4Yaounde Initiative Foundation, Yaoundé, Cameroon. 5Laboratory of Parasitology, Yaoundé University Hospital Centre, Cameroon. Received 6 April, 2012; Accepted 25 August, 2014 Most riverine villages of the Sanaga river are known endemic for vector-borne diseases. Two cross sectional surveys were set during two seasons in villages of the Sanaga mid valley to identify main Simuliids and mosquitoes genus and species, their specific biotopes and fluctuations of their abundance with respect to distance from the river banks and seasons. The study villages are located close to 5 and 35 km from the Sanaga river edges. Both larva and adult stages were assessed using known methods. All adults Simuliids, larvae and nymphs were identified as Simulium damnosum. Larvae and nymphs were collected only in the river stream and adults near the banks, farms and near households. Adults and larvae abundance was greater in the rainy season whereas nymphs were more abundant in the dry season. Endophilic mosquitoes harvested were Anopheles and Culex. Their abundance was greater in villages close to the river. Species and resting densities varied with distance from the river edges. Culicidae larvae collected belonged to Aedes, Anopheles and Culex. Fourteen species were identified, 3 of Anopheles, 5 of Aedes and 6 of Culex. Some species showed broad specificity to biotopes. This study indicates that mosquito fauna is more diversified at larval stage in the Sanaga mid valley; some having broad specificity to breading sites. The Sanaga river harbours most of the species found in the water bodies. Indoor adult mosquitoes are less diversified indicating that most of the mosquito found at larval stage may breed mostly outdoor. Simulium larvae and pupae breed specifically in the falls and rapids of the Sanaga stream. Both sexes of adult Simulium are found near the river, whereas only females are found near households and in farms. Adults Simulium density decreases with the distance from the river with two picks of abundance in the day. Key words: Biodiversity, Culicidae, Simuliidae, Sanaga River. INTRODUCTION Insect borne diseases are most harmful in social tropical areas. Transmission of these diseases is mostly economic importance among endemic diseases in most related to insect’s adult flies among which mosquitoes Kuete et al. 143 (Culicidae) and black flies (Simuliidae) families are located in forest-like areas, whereas Bot-Makak is a small town believed to be most important. Culicidae or mosquitoes surrounded by a forest area. Moreover, Ndomdjengue village is are known to transmit either virus, bacterial or parasitic separated from the river by an evergreen forestry screen. Farming, bovine rearing and commerce are the main occupations in the three diseases, whereas Simuliidae or black flies are known as villages. Fishing is also made by residents in Mbebe. This study specific vectors of onchocerciasis in tropical areas consisted in collecting and identifying adults as well as larvae (Rodhain and Perez, 1985; Rodhain, 1999; Ostfeld and stages of Simulium and Culicidae. Sampling techniques and Keesing, 2000). conservation varied according to insect groups and stages. The Sanaga mid valley is an area where despite mass distribution of ivermectin, the onchocerciasis-specific treatment, onchocerciasis is still highly endemic. Simuliidae collection and preservation Foremost, onchocerciasis endemicity level in this area is Adult Simulium were captured using aluminium panel trap likely to favour the occurrence of epilepsy, a neurologic (100×100×0.55 cm) coiled with glue made of Tween 20 and 95° disease. Previous studies demonstrated that alcohol. The trap was set from 6 am to 6 pm at 2 m from the ground neighbouring villages of the Sanaga river are and flies caught at each hour were collected, counted and mesoendemic to hyperendemic for malaria (Gazin et al., transferred into tubes. These tubes were then closed with a dry 1989). cotton wool and brought to laboratory for identification. The traps were set in farms, near habitations, at the river edges and in the The Sanaga river is of most importance in Cameroon. forest undergrowth. The streams are mostly fast flowing with many rapids and Larvae and pupae of Simulium were collected in the stream of falls on rocky substratum suitable as breeding sites for the river on rocky substratum, and in the falls from leaves and Simulium (Mouchet, 1962; Philippon, 1977; Same-Ekobo, stems of submerged and floating vegetation. Soft forceps and 1997). Apart from favouring development of Simulium plastic pipettes were used to collect larvae on rocky substratum. larva, the river can be expected to favour development of Larvae hanged on submerged and floating vegetations were collected with soft pipettes after tearing the vegetation using a other flies like mosquitoes, thus influencing epidemiology hook. Larvae and pupae collection lasted 30 min at each site. Larva of other vector borned transmitting diseases. stages were then transferred in test tubes containing 70° ethanol, A descriptive study was done in the diversity and and then carried to laboratory for identification. spatial distribution of potent endemic diseases transmitting Culicidae and Simuliidae flies in the Sanaga Culicidae collection and preservation river and in three villages situated at different distances from the river edges in the Sanaga river mid valley. Indoor resting adult mosquitoes were harvested in each village Studied villages were Mbebe, Ndomnjengue and Bot through pyrethrum insecticide spray in a room of known dimensions Makak. and where a 2×2 m white sheet was previously placed. The The main objective of the study was to investigate spraying took place between 10 pm and midnight. Dead and alive mosquitoes collected on the white sheet were transferred into test species that can be found in the study villages with tubes, and then brought to the laboratory for identification. Indoor- respect to distance from the Sanaga river edges and resting density for adults Culicidae was calculated with the following specify ecological peculiarities of species found in formula: Total number of adults collected/Number of rooms prospected areas. screened. Larva and pupa of mosquitoes were searched in different water bodies across the villages, namely, Sanaga river falls, rapids, MATERIALS AND METHODS marshes, pools, ponds, springs, holes in trees, abandoned containers like flasks, tyres, and dishes. Culicidae larvae and pupae Study area were collected in large water bodies using the classical “dipping” technique as described by Service (1976). In small water bodies The Sanaga mid valley is located in a forest-savannah transition like abandoned containers or tyres and tree holes, larva stages area covering almost 150 km distance between the Monatele town were collected using a plastic pipette. All larva collected were in the Lekie division upstream and Edea town in the Sanaga brought to the laboratory in flasks containing water from the Maritime division downstream. This valley covers three divisions, collecting site for identification. namely, Lekie, Nyong-Ekelle and Sanaga-Maritime divisions. The Some of the mosquito larvae were bred in laboratory for adult Sanaga river is marked at this level by existence of rapids and one emergency for accurate identification. The larvae were fed in plastic of it most important falls; the Mbebe-Kikot falls with an almost rocky containers until adult harvest with organic detritus from water substratum. collected in their natural breeding sites. These adults were then The studied villages were Ndomdjengue located in the Sanaga- identified using morphological keys. Maritime division 5 km from the main Mbebe-Kikot falls of Sanaga, village Mbebe located close to the edges of the Sanaga river and close to the later falls of the area in the Nyong-Ekelle division and Identification of harvested insects the village Bot-Makak located 35 km from the river edge in the Nyong-Ekelle division. Ndomdjengue and Mbebe villages are Both Culicidae and Simuliidae adult and larval stages were *Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]. Tel: (237) 77 92 12 30. Author(s) agree that this article remain permanently open access under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 International License 144 J. Parasitol. Vector Biol. examined under a stereomicroscope and identified using the Distribution of adult Simulium flies according to sex specific morphological characteristics identification keys for in the screened areas Anophelinae species (Gillies and De Meillon, 1968; Gillies and Coetzee, 1987), Culicinae (Jupp, 1996) and Simuliidae (Freeman and De Meillon, 1953). Data were analysed using Chi2 test at Of the adult Simulium caught on traps, males were confidence interval of 0.05.