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Transmission of Plasmodium falciparum is hyperendemic in southern Zambia. However, no data on the entomologic aspects of malaria transmission have been published from Zambia in more than 25 years. We evaluated seasonal malaria transmission by Anopheles arabiensis and An. funestus s.s. and characterized the blood feeding behavior of An. arabiensis in two village areas. Transmission during the 20042005 rainy season was nearly zero because of widespread drought. During 20052006, the estimated entomologic inoculation rate values were 1.6 and 18.3 infective bites per person per transmission season in each of the two village areas, respectively. Finally, with a human blood index of 0.923, An. arabiensis was substantially more anthropophilic in our study area than comparable samples of indoor-resting An. arabiensis throughout Africa and was the primary vector responsible for transmission of P. falciparum.
Received September 13, 2006. Accepted for publication October 31, 2006.
Acknowledgments: We thank Harry Hamapumbu for organizing and managing the field team, and Petros Moono, Patricia Muleya, Pamela Sinywimaanzi, Fidelis Chanda, Lusyomo Chikobolo, Collence Munsanje, Rodwell Moono, Peter Simakwati, Guide Hansumo, Scene Mudenda, Betham Dubeka, Frederick Mwiinga, Buster Musanje, Maron Mulota, and Kalizya Sinyangwe for performing mosquito collections.
Financial support. This study was supported in part by funding to Douglas E. Norris from the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, a Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute pre-doctoral fellowship award to Rebekah J. Kent, a Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Global Field Experience Fund award to Rebekah J. Kent, and a National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences training award (T32ES07141) to Rebekah J. Kent.
* Address correspondence to Rebekah J. Kent, The W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205. E-mail: rcmosquito{at}yahoo.com
Authors addresses: Rebekah J. Kent and Douglas E. Norris, The W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, Telephone: 410-614-2710, Fax: 410-955-0105, E-mails: rcmosquito{at}yahoo.com and dnorris{at}jhsph.edu. Philip E. Thuma and Sungano Mharakurwa, The Malaria Institute at Macha, PO Box 630166, Choma, Zambia, E-mails: pthuma{at}machamalaria.org and smharaku{at}jhsph.edu.
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