Sampling of An.gambiae s.s mosquitoes using Limburger cheese, heat and moisture as baits in a homemade trap

BACKGROUND: Ample evidence has shown that odour baited traps are likely to provide an objective monitoring tool for the host-seeking fraction of mosquito vectors of diseases like malaria and bancroftian filariasis. Such traps could eventually become part of primary healthcare systems used to study the vector biology and epidemiology of mosquito-borne diseases. I hereby, report a study that sampled Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto mosquitoes in a screen house using a homemade trap baited with a combination of Limburger cheese and moisture, Limburger cheese and heat, or Limburger cheese, moisture and heat. FINDINGS: Tests on the efficacy of the developed trap to sample An. gambiae s.s, mosquitoes using Limburger cheese, moisture and heat as baits were carried out in a screen house measuring 11.4 × 7.1 × 2.8 m. The studies were done in three phases. In the first phase the efficacy of the trap to sample An. gambiae s.s. using odour and moisture was tested. The second phase was to test the efficacy of the trap to sample An. gambiae s.s. using Limburger cheese and heat. In the third phase a combination of Limburger cheese, moisture and heat was tested. Tests were carried out for 27 consecutive nights. The designed trap collected a total of 59 An. gambiae s.s. in three trials. The trap baited with Limburger cheese and moisture collected 7 An. gambiae s.s in 7 days. The mean catch per day was 1. The trap baited with Limburger cheese and heat collected zero An. gambiae s.s in 11 days. The mean catch per day was therefore 0. The trap baited with Limburger cheese, moisture and heat collected 52 mosquitoes in 27 days and the mean catch was 1.93. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that a non-electric fan driven trap baited with a combination of Limburger cheese, heat and moisture has a potential as an effective sampling tool for the malaria vector, Anopheles gambiae s.s. However, further optimization studies would be necessary.