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The anophelines of India
630
MIXED
POPULATIONS
OF Ttypanozom
Schutt, I. D. & Mehlitz, D. (1981). On the persistence of human serum resistance to isoenzyme patterns of Ttypanozoon in experimentlly infected pigs. Acta Tropica, 38, 367-373. Scott, C. M. (1981). Mixed populations of Trypanosoma brucei in a naturally infected pig. Tropentnedizin und Parasitology, 32, 221-222. Tait, A. (1983). Sexual processes in the Kinetoplastida. Parasitologie, 86, 29-57.
IN
G.
palpah
pfZlp&
IN
IVORY
COAST
Weitz, B. (1963). The feeding habits of Glossina.Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 28, 711-729. Wraxall, B. G. D. & Culliford, B. G. (1968). A thin-layer starch gel method for enzyme typing of blood strains. Journal of the Forensic ScienceSociey, 8, 81-82.
Accepted for publication 2nd December, 1983.
Book Review The Anophelines of India. T. Ramachandra Rao. Indian Council of Medical Research. Malaria Research Centre, 1984 (revised edition). xvi + 518 pp., illustrated. Price: US$ 45.00 (150 rupees). Ronald Ross attributed the transmission of malaria to the bite of the anopheline mosquito from his work with what is usually taken to be Anopheles stephensi in Calcutta in 1898. It is not surprising therefore that India has contributed to our knowledge of the disease more than any other part of the world. This book written by a very prominent malaria entomologist himself, records the history of developments in his country over most of this century. Starting his working life with the famous American malariologist Paul Russell in 1936 he has personal knowledge of other famous names like Christophers, Sinton, Covell, Senior White, Macdonald, Jaswant Singh and D. K. Viswanathan who were all pioneers in the subject and whose main experience was gained in India. The book is two parts. The second gives details of distinguishing features, distribution, bionomics, relation to disease and control measures (in the case of vector species)of the more than 50 anopheline species recognized. It is followed, conventionally, by adult and larval identification keys. The first part is more general and deals with the systematic position of the species, their distribution within India and in neighbouring countries, their bionomical characteristics and their relation to diseasetransmission, in particular to malaria. There are eight principal and six local vectors of malaria but most of the disease in the country as a whole is transmitted by A. culicifacies, A. stephensi and A. fluviatilis. The first two are the most Gportant but what proportion of the disease as a whole is carried bv each is not clear. A. culicifacies is now known to be a complex of more than one species and A. stephensi is suspected to exist as urban and rural “varieties” though whether these are true species is uncertain.
The history of mosquito control methods in India is the history of methods adopted throughout the world-the use of larvicides in the form of oil or Paris Green and the current use of residual insecticides in houses against adult mosquitoes. The first large scale programme involving house-spraying with DDT started in 1946, with Mahatma Gandhi’s blessing apparently, and the National Malaria Control Programme (to become an Eradication Programme five years later) was instituted in 1953. The 75 million malaria cases occurring annually before 1946 were reduced to less than 200.000 bv 1963. Evervone involved thought eradication was”in sight and iheir complacency, among other things, led to a resurgence thereafter which is still persisting (six million casesin 1977. two million in 1982). Insecticide resistance in the principle vectors contributed to the problem. This mainly involved the organochlorines DDT and BHC but latterly A. culicifacies has shown organophosphate resistance particularly in western states. However, most of the control authorities consider that DDT and BHC can still be used in extensive parts of the country for some time to come. Besides resistance there is someevidence that the prolonged use of residuals has led to changesin mosquito behaviour in particular in the appearance of exophilic A. philipjinensis and zoonhilic A. fluviatilus. Addine to these “refractorv” causes of malaria persistence”is the occurrence *of transmission in the north-east by the non-houseresting species A. balabacensis. Altogether this comprehensive treatise with some 1000 references constitutes an invaluable addition to our knowledge of malaria in India. It must be a source of great satisfaction to its illustrious author to have completed, in the initial years of his retirement, what is in great part, a very personal history. G.
DAVIDSON
MIXED
POPULATIONS
OF Ttypanozom
Schutt, I. D. & Mehlitz, D. (1981). On the persistence of human serum resistance to isoenzyme patterns of Ttypanozoon in experimentlly infected pigs. Acta Tropica, 38, 367-373. Scott, C. M. (1981). Mixed populations of Trypanosoma brucei in a naturally infected pig. Tropentnedizin und Parasitology, 32, 221-222. Tait, A. (1983). Sexual processes in the Kinetoplastida. Parasitologie, 86, 29-57.
IN
G.
palpah
pfZlp&
IN
IVORY
COAST
Weitz, B. (1963). The feeding habits of Glossina.Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 28, 711-729. Wraxall, B. G. D. & Culliford, B. G. (1968). A thin-layer starch gel method for enzyme typing of blood strains. Journal of the Forensic ScienceSociey, 8, 81-82.
Accepted for publication 2nd December, 1983.
Book Review The Anophelines of India. T. Ramachandra Rao. Indian Council of Medical Research. Malaria Research Centre, 1984 (revised edition). xvi + 518 pp., illustrated. Price: US$ 45.00 (150 rupees). Ronald Ross attributed the transmission of malaria to the bite of the anopheline mosquito from his work with what is usually taken to be Anopheles stephensi in Calcutta in 1898. It is not surprising therefore that India has contributed to our knowledge of the disease more than any other part of the world. This book written by a very prominent malaria entomologist himself, records the history of developments in his country over most of this century. Starting his working life with the famous American malariologist Paul Russell in 1936 he has personal knowledge of other famous names like Christophers, Sinton, Covell, Senior White, Macdonald, Jaswant Singh and D. K. Viswanathan who were all pioneers in the subject and whose main experience was gained in India. The book is two parts. The second gives details of distinguishing features, distribution, bionomics, relation to disease and control measures (in the case of vector species)of the more than 50 anopheline species recognized. It is followed, conventionally, by adult and larval identification keys. The first part is more general and deals with the systematic position of the species, their distribution within India and in neighbouring countries, their bionomical characteristics and their relation to diseasetransmission, in particular to malaria. There are eight principal and six local vectors of malaria but most of the disease in the country as a whole is transmitted by A. culicifacies, A. stephensi and A. fluviatilis. The first two are the most Gportant but what proportion of the disease as a whole is carried bv each is not clear. A. culicifacies is now known to be a complex of more than one species and A. stephensi is suspected to exist as urban and rural “varieties” though whether these are true species is uncertain.
The history of mosquito control methods in India is the history of methods adopted throughout the world-the use of larvicides in the form of oil or Paris Green and the current use of residual insecticides in houses against adult mosquitoes. The first large scale programme involving house-spraying with DDT started in 1946, with Mahatma Gandhi’s blessing apparently, and the National Malaria Control Programme (to become an Eradication Programme five years later) was instituted in 1953. The 75 million malaria cases occurring annually before 1946 were reduced to less than 200.000 bv 1963. Evervone involved thought eradication was”in sight and iheir complacency, among other things, led to a resurgence thereafter which is still persisting (six million casesin 1977. two million in 1982). Insecticide resistance in the principle vectors contributed to the problem. This mainly involved the organochlorines DDT and BHC but latterly A. culicifacies has shown organophosphate resistance particularly in western states. However, most of the control authorities consider that DDT and BHC can still be used in extensive parts of the country for some time to come. Besides resistance there is someevidence that the prolonged use of residuals has led to changesin mosquito behaviour in particular in the appearance of exophilic A. philipjinensis and zoonhilic A. fluviatilus. Addine to these “refractorv” causes of malaria persistence”is the occurrence *of transmission in the north-east by the non-houseresting species A. balabacensis. Altogether this comprehensive treatise with some 1000 references constitutes an invaluable addition to our knowledge of malaria in India. It must be a source of great satisfaction to its illustrious author to have completed, in the initial years of his retirement, what is in great part, a very personal history. G.
DAVIDSON