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Background  Host preference is a critical determinant of human exposure to vector-borne infections and the impact of vector control interventions. Widespread use of long-lasting insecticide-treated nets (LLINs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS) across sub-Saharan Africa, which protect humans against mosquitoes, may select for altered host preference traits of malaria vectors over the long term. Here, the host preferences of  Anopheles arabiensis  and  Anopheles gambiae  sensu stricto (s.s.) were experimentally assessed in the field, using direct host-preference assays in two distinct ecological settings in Tanzania.    Methods  Eight Ifakara Tent Trap (ITT), four baited with humans and four with bovine calves, were simultaneously used to catch malaria vectors in open field sites in urban and rural Tanzania. The numbers of mosquitoes collected in human-baited traps  versus  calf-baited traps were used to estimate human feeding preference for each site's vector species.    Results  The estimated proportion [95% confidence interval (CI)] of mosquitoes attacking humans rather than cattle was 0.60 [0.40, 0.77] for  An. arabiensis  in the rural setting and 0.61 [0.32, 0.85] for  An. gambiae s.s.  in the urban setting, indicating no preference for either host in both cases (P = 0.32 and 0.46, respectively) and no difference in preference between the two (Odds Ratio (OR) [95%] = 0.95 [0.30, 3.01],  P  = 0.924). However, only a quarter of  An. arabiensis  in the urban setting attacked humans (0.25 [0.09, 0.53]), indicating a preference for cattle that approached significance (P = 0.08). Indeed, urban  An. arabiensis  were less likely to attack humans rather than cattle when compared to the same species in the rural setting (OR [95%] = 0.21 [0.05, 0.91],  P  = 0.037).    Conclusion  Urban  An. arabiensis  had a stronger preference for cattle than the rural population and urban  An. gambiae s.s.  showed no clear preference for either humans or cattle. In the urban setting, both species exhibited stronger tendencies to attack cattle than previous studies of the same species in rural contexts. Cattle keeping may, therefore, particularly limit the impact of human-targeted vector control interventions in Dar es Salaam and perhaps in other African towns and cities.

malaria journal

Reduced human-biting preferences of the African malaria vectors Anopheles arabiensis and Anopheles gambiae in an urban context: controlled, competitive host-preference experiments in Tanzania