Ivermectin Treatment for Cattle Reduced the Survival of Two Malaria Vectors, Anopheles dirus and Anopheles epiroticus, Under Laboratory Conditions in Central Vietnam

Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2021 Apr 26;104(6):2165-2168. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.20-1239.

Abstract

Ivermectin is a low-cost and nontoxic mosquitocide that may have a role in malaria elimination. However, the extent to which this drug impacts the mortality of Anopheles dirus and Anopheles epiroticus, two important malaria vectors in Southeast Asia, is unknown. This study compared and quantified anopheline mortality after feeding on ivermectin-treated cattle and control cattle in Vietnam. Local anopheline colonies fed on cattle 1 to 3, 6 to 8, 13 to 15, 20 to 22, and 28 to 30 days after injection (DAI) with ivermectin (intervention) or saline (control). An. dirus that fed on ivermectin-treated cattle had higher mortality rates than controls for up to 20 DAI (P < 0.05); An. epiroticus that fed on ivermectin-treated cattle had consistently higher mortality rates than controls for up to 8 DAI (P < 0.05). Feeding on ivermectin-treated cattle increased the mortality rate of these vector species for biologically relevant time periods. Therefore, ivermectin has the potential to become an important tool for integrated vector management.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Anopheles / classification
  • Anopheles / drug effects*
  • Cattle
  • Feeding Behavior
  • Female
  • Insecticides / therapeutic use*
  • Ivermectin / therapeutic use*
  • Laboratories*
  • Malaria / prevention & control
  • Malaria / transmission
  • Male
  • Mosquito Control / methods*
  • Mosquito Vectors / drug effects*
  • Mosquito Vectors / parasitology
  • Vietnam

Substances

  • Insecticides
  • Ivermectin