Korean J Parasitol.  2011 Sep;49(3):313-316. 10.3347/kjp.2011.49.3.313.

Mosquito Species Composition and Plasmodium vivax Infection Rates on Baengnyeong-do (Island), Republic of Korea

• Foley DH
• Klein TA
• Lee IY
• Kim MS
• Wilkerson
• Harrison G
• Rueda LM
• Kim HC

• KMID: 1715659
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3347/kjp.2011.49.3.313

Abstract

Vivax malaria is a significant military and civilian health threat in the north of the Republic of Korea (ROK). The island of Baengnyeong-do is the westernmost point of the ROK and is located close to the southwestern coast of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Mosquitoes were collected using a black light trap on Baengnyeong-do, and Anopheles spp. were assayed by PCR, to identify the species, and screened for sporozoites of Plasmodium vivax. Of a subsample of 257 mosquitoes, Anopheles lesteri was the most frequently collected (49.8%), followed by Anopheles sinensis (22.6%), Anopheles pullus (18.7%), Anopheles kleini (7.8%), and Anopheles belenrae (1.2%). The overall sporozoite rate was 3.1%, with the highest rates observed in An. kleini (15.0%), An. sinensis (5.2%), and An. lesteri (1.6%). No sporozoite positive An. pullus or An. belenrae were observed. The results extend our knowledge of the distribution and potential role in malaria transmission of An. kleini, An. lesteri, and An. sinensis, for an area previously considered to be at a low risk for contracting vivax malaria.

Keyword

Anopheles lesteri; Anopheles kleini; Anopheles sinensis; Plasmodium vivax; malaria; sporozoite; Baengnyeong-do (Island)

MeSH Terms

Animals
Anopheles/*classification/genetics/*parasitology
Plasmodium vivax/genetics/*isolation & purification
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Prevalence
Republic of Korea