BACKGROUND: Host selection is an important determinant of vectorial capacity because @entity311 transmission increases when mosquitoes feed more on @entity1 than non- @entity1 . Host selection also affects the outcome of @entity1162 ( @entity1162 ). Despite the recent nationwide implementation of @entity1162 -based @entity311 control program in Papua New Guinea (PNG), little is known about the host selection of the local Anopheles vectors. This study investigated the host selection of Anopheles vectors in PNG. METHODS: Blood-engorged mosquitoes were sampled using the barrier screen method and blood meals analyzed for vertebrate host source with PCR-amplification of the mitochondrial @entity13508 gene. Abundance of common hosts was estimated in surveys. The test of homogeneity of proportions and the Manly resource selection ratio were used to determine if hosts were selected in proportion to their abundance. RESULTS: Two thousand four hundred and forty blood fed Anopheles females of seven species were sampled from five villages in Madang, PNG. Of 2,142 samples tested, 2,061 (96.2%) yielded a definitive host source; all were @entity1 , @entity1707 , or @entity235 . Hosts were not selected in proportion to their abundance, but rather were under-selected or over-selected by the mosquitoes. Four species, Anopheles farauti (sensu stricto) (s.s.), @entity69193 (s.s.), @entity69194 and Anopheles longirostris, over-selected @entity1 in villages with low @entity1162 usage, but over-selected @entity1707 in villages with high @entity1162 usage. Anopheles koliensis consistently over-selected @entity1 despite high @entity1162 usage, and Anopheles bancroftii over-selected @entity1707 . CONCLUSIONS: The plasticity of host selection of an Anopheles species depends on its opportunistic, anthropophilic or zoophilic behavior, and on the extent of host availability and @entity1162 usage where the mosquitoes forage for hosts. The high anthropophily of An. koliensis increases the likelihood of contacting the @entity1162 inside houses. This allows its population size to be reduced to levels insufficient to support transmission. In contrast, by feeding on alternative hosts the likelihood of the opportunistic species to contact @entity1162 is lower, making them difficult to control. By maintaining high population size, the proportion that feed on @entity1 outdoors can sustain residual transmission despite high @entity1162 usage in the village.

Plasticity of host selection by XXXX vectors of Papua New Guinea.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['humans', 'human'] @entity1707 :: ('9823', 'Species') :: ['pigs', 'pig'] @entity1162 :: ('MESH:D008133', 'Disease') :: ['LLIN', 'long-lasting insecticidal nets'] @entity235 :: ('9615', 'Species') :: ['dog'] @entity69193 :: ('30068', 'Species') :: ['Anopheles punctulatus'] @entity13508 :: ('4519', 'Gene') :: ['cytochrome b'] @entity311 :: ('MESH:D008288', 'Disease') :: ['malaria'] @entity69194 :: ('59191', 'Species') :: ['Anopheles farauti no. 4']
@entity311 :: (MESH:D008288,Disease) :: ['malaria']
