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House construction is rapidly modernizing across Africa but the potential benefits for human health are poorly understood. We hypothesised that improvements to housing would be associated with reductions in malaria, acute respiratory infection (ARI) and gastrointestinal illness in an area of low malaria endemicity in Uganda. Data were analysed from a cohort study of male and female child and adult residents (n = 531) of 80 randomly-selected households in Nagongera sub-county, followed for 24 months (October 4, 2017 to October 31, 2019). Houses were classified as modern (brick walls, metal roof and closed eaves) or traditional (all other homes). Light trap collections of mosquitoes were done every two weeks in all sleeping rooms. Every four weeks, we measured malaria infection (using microscopy and qPCR to detect malaria parasites), incidence of malaria, ARI and gastrointestinal illness. We collected 15,780 adult female Anopheles over 7,631 nights. We collected 13,277 blood samples of which 10.2% (1,347) were positive for malaria parasites. Over 958 person years we diagnosed 38 episodes of uncomplicated malaria (incidence 0.04 episodes per person-year at risk), 2,553 episodes of ARI (incidence 2.7 episodes per person-year) and 387 episodes of gastrointestinal illness (incidence 0.4 episodes per person-year). Modern houses were associated with a 53% lower human biting rate compared to traditional houses (adjusted incidence rate ratio [aIRR] 0.47, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.32-0.67, p

Macroinvertebrate predators such as backswimmers (Heteroptera: Notonectidae), dragonflies (Odonata: Aeshnidae), and predatory diving beetles (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) naturally inhabit aquatic ecosystems. Some aquatic ecosystems inhabited by these macroinvertebrate predator taxa equally form malaria vector larval habitats. The presence of these predators in malaria vector larval habitats can negatively impact on development, adult body size, fecundity, and longevity of the malaria vectors, which form important determinants of their fitness and future vectorial capacity. These potential negative impacts caused by aquatic macroinvertebrate predators on malaria vectors warrant their consideration as biocontrol agents in an integrated program to combat malaria. However, the use of these macroinvertebrate predators in malaria biocontrol is currently constrained by technical bottlenecks linked to their generalist predatory tendencies and often long life cycles, demanding complex rearing systems. We reviewed the literature on the use of aquatic macroinvertebrate predators for biocontrol of malaria vectors from the An. gambiae s.l. complex. The available information from laboratory and semi-field studies has shown that aquatic macroinvertebrates have the potential to consume large numbers of mosquito larvae and could thus offer an additional approaches in integrated malaria vector management strategies. The growing number of semi-field structures available in East and West Africa provides an opportunity to conduct ecological experimental studies to reconsider the potential of using aquatic macroinvertebrate predators as a biocontrol tool. To achieve a more sustainable approach to controlling malaria vector populations, additional, non-chemical interventions could provide a more sustainable approach, in comparison with the failing chemical control tools, and should be urgently considered for integration with the current mosquito vector control campaigns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest-dependent biodiversity is threatened throughout the tropics by habitat loss and land-use intensification of the matrix habitats. We resampled historic data on two moth families, known to play central roles in many ecosystem processes, to evaluate temporal changes in species richness and community structure in three protected forests in central Uganda in a rapidly changing matrix. Our results show some significant declines in the moth species richness and the relative abundance and richness of forest-dependent species over the last 20-40 years. The observed changes in species richness and composition among different forests, ecological types, and moth groups highlight the need to repeatedly monitor biodiversity even within protected and relatively intact forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We investigated the biting patterns and seasonal abundances of Anopheles gambiae s.l. and An. funestus mosquitoes in Kamuli District, Uganda. Methods: Hourly indoor and outdoor catches of human biting mosquitoes were sampled from 19.00 to 07.00 hours for four consecutive nights each month using bed net traps in forty-eight houses randomly selected from Bugabula county where insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs) had been used for at least five years and Budiope county where ITNs had not been used. The indoor and outdoor human-biting fractions, time of biting of the anophelines and climatic data were recorded from January to December 2010. Data were analysed using Multi-way analysis of variance, Kruskal-wallis rank sum test and Pearson correlation. The number of mosquitoes caught biting humans and resting indoors, the indoor and outdoor human biting densities and biting rates during different hours of the night, and mosquito abundances for a twelve-month sampling period in both zones are reported. Results: Approximately four times more Anopheles mosquitoes were caught biting humans in Budiope County than in the Bugabula zone, with An. gambiae s. l. catches exceeding those of An. funestus. In both zones, peak night biting occurred between 23.00 and 05.00 hours. The majority of bites occurred between 03.00 and 06.00 hours for both Anopheles gambiae s. l. and funestus group. Outdoor biting densities of Anopheles gambiae s. l. exceeded the indoor biting densities throughout the night in both zones, while the indoor and outdoor human biting densities of An. funestus group were apparently equal. The outdoor and indoor human biting rates were similar in both zones. In Bugabula county, the abundance of An. gambiae s.l. was rainfall-dependent, while the An. funestus group could thrive with or without rain fall. In Budiope county, both An. gambiae s.l. and An. funestus mosquitoes thrived all year round regardless of the amount of rainfall. Conclusion: Considering the biting patterns, and seasonal abundances exhibited by Anopheles gambiae s.l. and An. funestus mosquitoes in Kamuli district, intensive use of ITNs combined with indoor residual spraying, environmental management and improved house designs in the context of integrated vector management may be the appropriate vector control strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]