dehydrogenase subunit 5 (ND5) gene genetic differentiation of Anopheles arabiensis Patton (Diptera: Culicidae) the malaria vector in the Republic of Sudan

Background Anopheles arabiensis is the main malaria vector in Sudan . The abundance of Anopheles populations is subject to the environmental factors in which they inhabit. These factors play a major role in controlling their population genetic structure and their effectiveness as vectors. Objective The main objectives of this study were to investigate the genetic structure of Anopheles arabiensis , and to determine the relationships of An. arabiensis within the An. gambiae complex species based on mtDNA NADH dehydrogenase subunit 5 (ND5) gene. Method The samples were collected from six locations in different regions of Sudan during June 2010 to May 2011. The collection sites were; Mygoma, Alhaj Yousif and Algerif West (Khartoum State), Alkrmota and Alhalanga Shemal (Kassala State) and Abu Algoni (Sennar State). Partial mtDNA NADH dehydrogenase subunit 5 (ND5) gene was utilized to examine the interpopulation sequence variation in Sudan. Results Haplotype diversity was high (0.61- 0.90) with low nucleotide diversity (0.003-0.004). High gene flow and no isolation by distance were observed among populations using the ND5 gene Conclusion This study revealed high gene flow and no isolation by distance among the six populations investigated.