Molecular confirmation ofAnopheles stephensiin the Al Hudaydah Governorate, Yemen, 2021-2022

Abstract

AbstractAnopheles stephensiis an invasive malaria vector in Africa. To determine the status of the mosquito in Yemen,An. stephensivector surveillance and molecular confirmation was conducted in Al Hudaydah Governorate in 2021 and 2022. Mosquito larvae were collected in suspected man-made breeding habitats in Ah Dahi and Zabid city in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Mosquitoes morphologically identified asAn. stephensiunderwent molecular confirmation through PCR assays, sequencing, and phylogenetic analysis of the cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene and internal transcribed spacer 2 locus (ITS2). Analysis confirmedAn. stephensiidentification for the majority of samples (39/41), with two COI haplotypes detected: one newly reported haplotype and one haplotype common to Northeast Ethiopia and Somaliland. No clustering withAn. stephensifrom the Arabian Peninsula was observed. These findings provide preliminary insight into the diversity ofAn. stephensi in Yemen and the connection betweenAn. stephensiin Yemen and East Africa.