Abstract:
Recent work has demonstrated that exposure to artificial light at night (ALAN) may alter mosquito feeding behavior and
so must be considered a moderator of vector-borne disease transfer. Anopheles funestus mosquitoes are a primary malaria
vector in sub-Saharan Africa, but no study to date has tested the impact of ALAN on their feeding behavior. Here we test if
the exposure to commonly used household lights (compact fuorescent lights, light-emitting diodes, and incandescent lights)
alters Anopheles funestus feeding. Mated, unfed female mosquitoes were exposed to a light treatment, at the onset of darkness, followed by a blood-feeding assay. The light treatments consisted of a 30-min light pulse of one of the three household
lights, each in individual experimental containers, versus controls. All three household lights resulted in a reduction in the
percentage of females taking a blood meal, but only mosquitoes exposed to incandescent light showed a statistically significant reduction in feeding of 19.6% relative to controls which showed a 42.8% feeding rate. Our results suggest that exposure
to some household lights during the night may have an immediate inhibitory effect on Anopheles funestus feeding. By helping identify which light types lead to a suppression of feeding, the findings of this study could provide insight necessary to
design household lights that can help minimize mosquito feeding on humans.
