Seroprevalences of antibodies against thoracic proteins of three species of mosquito, among the residents of an area where filariasis is endemic: relationship with the mosquito densities

Attempts were made to correlate the numbers of indoor-resting Culex quinque fasciatus, Armigeres theobold and Anopheles vagus in Raipur, Chattisgarh st ate, India, with the seroprevalences, among the city's microfilaraemic and 'endemic normal' residents, of antibodies reacting with thoracic proteins f rom the adult females of each of these species. Overall, 6478 female mosqui toes were collected in about 176 man-hours spread over a 12-month period. A ntibodies to Cx. quniquefasciatus, the commonest species and the only one t o be prevalent in all seasons of the year, were detected in 90% of the micr ofilaraemic subjects and 27% of the endemic normal. Although Armigeres theo bold only constituted 5% of the mosquitoes collected, 96% of the microfilar aemic subjects and 69% of the endemic normal subjects had antibodies agains t thoracic proteins of this species (almost 50% of all the sera having high titres of such antibodies). Antibodies to An. vagus were detected, althoug h almost always at very low titres, in 84% of the microfilaraemic subjects and 42% of the endemic normal. Thus, the seroprevalence of antibodies to th oracic antigens from a mosquito species bore no relationship with the indoo r-resting densities of that species.