From the field to the laboratory: establishment of Anopheles funestus s.s. colony in Burkina Faso

Background Anopheles funestus s.s plays a major role in sustaining residual malaria transmission in many African settings. Despite its epidemiological importance, research on its biology and developing effective control strategies is greatly hindered by the persistent challenges associated with the establishing of stable colonies in laboratory. This study capitalises a successful process for establishing An. funestus strain in laboratory population in Burkina Faso (FUNBF). Methods Adult female mosquitoes were collected over a two-year period in Diébougou and Soumousso using mouth and battery-powered electric aspirators. These mosquitoes were morphologically identified as belonging to the An. funestus group. Individual females were allowed to oviposit separately in 200mL disposable cups. Female mosquitoes were then confirmed at the molecular level as An. funestus s.s. Progeny were reared under standard laboratory conditions. Fecundity and egg hatch rate were recorded for founder (F0) females. Results A total of 1,871 female mosquitoes were collected across two years to establish the colony. F0 mean fecundity was 85± 2.9 eggs per female (range: 35–124) with a mean hatching rate of 88.6% (range: 66.4–100%). FUNBF has been maintained successfully for 23 generations with sustained egg production. Conclusion This work represents a significant advance in the domestication of An. funestus , one of the main malaria vectors in sub-Saharan Africa.