Įfforts are being made to achieve malaria elimination and eradication worldwide. Moreover, entomological parameters to identify the main vectors for selecting suitable vector control options are required in several communities in Africa, including Ghana, where malaria remains endemic in several communities. Therefore, the implementation of effective vector control strategies requires information on the main vectors, their population structure, distribution and efficiency in malaria transmission and variation even within local scales. For example, The Garki malaria control project in Nigeria in the 1970s failed largely because of failure to recognize persistent malaria transmission by exophilic outdoor-resting mosquitoes, despite widespread indoor residual insecticide spraying. However, behavioral heterogeneity of Anopheles species in ecologically different localities is widespread and could dictate the success of these strategies. Optimum effectiveness of these control strategies presumably depends on vectors biting at hours when most people are in bed. Consequently, currently used vector control methods via indoor residual sprays (IRS) and Insecticide treated bed nets (ITNs) are applied without regard to the local epidemiology of the disease, especially the relationship to vector behavior and intensity of transmission. In most malarious regions of the world, there is little baseline information on vector populations and variation in the intensity of malaria transmission. Indeed, the transmission pattern may even vary greatly from region to region and even from village to village in the same district. The risk of human exposure to infectious bites of vectors in Africa is however, not uniform. The EIR is also highly valuable for monitoring the suitability of vector control operations. This is usually estimated using the entomological inoculation rate (EIR), an index which provides the most direct measure of the risk of human exposure to the bites of infective anopheline vectors. Determining the intensity of transmission by mosquito populations is a key component of epidemiologic studies of malaria. The burden of malaria remains high in many African countries, despite increasing effort to control the disease due to a persistent high level of transmission. As such, novel or improved vector interventions should be informed by the local malaria epidemiology data as it relates to vector behavior. The plasticity observed in biting patterns especially the combined outdoor and early biting behavior of the vector may undermine the success of insecticide-based strategies using insecticide treated nets (ITN) and indoor residual spray (IRS). The findings provide a baseline for evidence-based planning and implementation of improved malaria interventions. ConclusionĪnopheles gambiae M molecular form is responsible for maintaining the status quo of malaria in the surveyed site during the study period. The Majority of the infective bites occurred outdoors after 09.00 pm reaching peaks between 12.00-01.00 am and 03.00-04.00 am. gambiae M molecular form contributed to transmission with a high degree of anthropophily, parity rate and an estimated entomological inoculation rate (EIR) of 62.1 infective bites/person/year.

A significantly higher proportion of anophelines were observed outdoors relative to indoors ( χ 2 = 159.34, df = 1, p < 0.0000). with a majority of M molecular form (98.2%) and only 1.8% S form with no record of M/S hybrid.

Of the 1233 Anopheles mosquitoes collected, An. Parity rate was examined based on dilatation of ovarian tracheoles following dissection. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect Plasmodium falciparum mosquito infectivity and host blood meal sources.

These were morphologically identified to species level and sibling species of the Anopheles gambiae complex further characterized by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Pyrethrum spray catches (PSC), and indoor and outdoor human landing collections of adult female anopheline mosquitoes were carried out over a six-month period (November 2005 - April 2006) at Kpone-on-Sea, a fishing village in southern Ghana. We present a site-specific entomological study of malaria vectors and transmission indices as part of an effort to develop a site for the testing of improved control strategies including possible vaccine trials. Malaria is a major public health problem in Ghana.

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