Microsporidia MB is found predominantly associated with Anopheles gambiae s.s and Anopheles coluzzii in Ghana
Date
2021
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Springer Nature
Abstract
A vertically transmitted microsporidian, Microsporidia MB, with the ability to disrupt Plasmodium
development was reported in Anopheles arabiensis from Kenya, East Africa. To demonstrate its
range of incidence, archived DNA samples from 7575 Anopheles mosquitoes collected from Ghana
were screened. MB prevalence was observed at 1.8%. An. gambiae s.s constituted 87% of positive
mosquitoes while the remaining were from An. coluzzii. Both sibling species had similar positivity
rates (24% and 19%; p = 0.42) despite the significantly higher number of An. gambiae s.s analysed (An.
gambiae s.s = 487; An. coluzzii = 94; p = 0.0005). The microsporidian was also more prevalent in emerged
adults from field-collected larvae than field-caught adults (p < 0.0001) suggestive of an efficient
vertical transmission and/or horizontal transfer among larvae. This is the first report of Microsporidia
MB in Anopheles mosquitoes in West Africa. It indicates possible widespread among malaria vector
species and warrants investigations into the symbiont’s diversity across sub-Saharan Africa.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Ghana, Microsporidia, Anopheles, Plasmodium, Mosquitoes