Short Report: Historical Analysis of a Near Disaster: Anopheles gambiae in Brazil

Yale University. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. New Haven, Connecticut, USA / University of Crete. Department of Biology. Crete, Greece.
Yale University. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. New Haven, Connecticut, USA / University of British Columbia Okanagan. Unit of Biology and Physical Geography. Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada.
Yale University. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Centro de Ciências Biológicas. Departamento de Microbiologia e Parasitologia. Florianópolis, SC, Brasil.
Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Biodiversidade Entomológica. Rio de Janeiro, RJ. Brasil.
Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Saúde Pública. Departamento de Epidemiologia. São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Saúde Pública. Departamento de Epidemiologia. São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
Division of Entomology. Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. Silver Spring, MD, USA / Smithsonian Institution. National Museum of Natural History. Department of Entomology. Washington, DC, USA.
Yale University. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. New Haven, Connecticut, USA.

Abstract

Attributed to human-mediated dispersal, a species of the Anopheles gambiae complex invaded northeastern Brazil in 1930. This event is considered unique among the intercontinental introductions of disease vectors and the most serious one: “Few threats to the future health of the Americas have equalled that inherent in the invasion of Brazil, in 1930, by Anopheles gambiae.” Because it was only in the 1960s that An. gambiae was recognized as a species complex now including seven species, the precise species identity of the Brazilian invader remains a mystery. Here we used historical DNA analysis of museum specimens, collected at the time of invasion from Brazil, and aimed at the identification of the Brazilian invader. Our results identify the arid-adapted Anopheles arabiensis as being the actual invading species. Establishing the identity of the species, in addition to being of intrinsic historical interest, can inform future threats of this sort especially in a changing environment. Furthermore, these results highlight the potential danger of human-mediated range expansions of insect disease vectors and the importance of museum collections in retrieving historical information.

Keywords in Portuguese

Anopheles gambiae
Brasil
Análise histórica
Nordeste do Brasil
Dispersão da espécie

Keywords

Anopheles gambiae
Brazil
Historical analysis
Northeastern Brazil
Human mediated dispersal

Publisher

American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

Citation

PARMAKELIS, Aristeidis et al. Short Report: Historical Analysis of a Near Disaster: Anopheles gambiae in Brazil. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, v. 78, n. 1, p. 176–178, 2008.

ISSN

0002-9637

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://www.arca.fiocruz.br/handle/icict/32375

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Embargo date

2022-01-01

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