Update on the distribution of Anopheles maculipennis s.l. members in the Republic of Moldova with the first record of An. daciae

Abstract

Background: Anopheles maculipennis complex members are important vectors of human malaria and potentially also for other pathogens, but there is a substantial gap in the current knowledge on their distribution, particularly in Eastern Europe. Therefore, the aim of the study was to update the distribution data for the individual members of An. maculipennis complex in the Republic of Moldova. Methods: New data were collected between 2013 and 2019 using CDC traps and manual aspirators in the Republic of Moldova. Randomly selected 297 An. maculipennis s.l. females from 49 sampling sites were subjected to the molecular species identification targeting the ITS2 gene. These data were combined with previously collected data in the 21^st century and historical data before the 1950s from the literature to present a comprehensive overview on the distribution for the members of An. maculipennis complex. Results: The most prevalent species was An. maculipennis s.s. (number of specimens = 115, 38.9%), followed by An. daciae (72, 24.3%), An. atroparvus (56, 18.6%) and An. messeae (54, 18.2%). Anopheles daciae was firstly reported for the country, while An. melanoon was confirmed by sequencing of PCR products of the specimens collected in 2012 and 2013. Conclusion: Five members of the An. maculipennis complex are present in the Republic of Moldova: An. atroparvus, An. maculipennis s.s., An. messeae, An. melanoon, and An. daciae. Anopheles labranchiae and An. sacharovi were not detected.