Distribu tion of Malaria Vector Larvae in Rural Africa

Backgrou nd: Larval source management is a promising componen t of integrat ed malaria control and eliminat ion. This requires developm ent of a framewor k to target producti ve loca tions through process- based understa nding of habitat hydrolog y and geomorph ology. Methods: We conducte d the first catchmen t scale study of fine resoluti on spatial and temporal variati on in Anophele s habitat and producti vity in relation to rainfall , hydrolog y and geomorph ology for a high malaria transmis sion area of Tanzania . Results: Monthly aggrega tes of rainfall , river stage and water table were not signific antly related to the abundanc e of vector larvae. However, these metrics showed strong explanat ory power to predict mosquito larval abundanc es after stratifi cation by water body type, with a clear seasonal trend for each, defined on the basis of its geomorph ological setting and origin. Conclusi on: Hydrolo gical and geomorph ological process es governin g the availa bility and producti vity of Anophele s breeding habitat need to be understo od at the local scale for which larval source management is implemented in order to effectiv ely target larval source interven tions. Mapping a nd monitori ng these processe s is a well-est ablished practice providi ng a tractabl e way forward for developi ng importa nt malaria manageme nt tools.