Metagenomic Profiles of Bacterial communities and environmental factors associated with proliferation of malaria vector mosquitoes within the Kenyan Coast

Abstract

Anopheles mosquitoes are the main malaria vector and as malaria cases decline in Sub Saharan Africa, there is a growing realisation that new interventions need to be added to complement the existing control strategies. To date, vector control is the most effective way to prevent malaria. Since the malaria parasite is maintained by mosquitoes which oviposit, feed and rest in the outdoor environment, there is an urgent need to focus on the control of oviposition sites seeking malaria vectors. In this regard, a detailed understanding of their larval ecology is necessary. In this study, the bacterial community structure and their interactions with physicochemical factors in relation to oviposition site selection in mosquito larval habitats was characterised in Kwale County, where malaria is endemic