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

Abstract 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 establishing stable colonies in laboratory. Here we describe the successful establishment of a new laboratory strain in Burkina Faso (FUNBF). Methods Adult female mosquitoes were collected 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 200 mL disposable cups. Female mosquitoes were then confirmed at the molecular level as An. funestus s.s. Adults were maintained at 27 ± 2 °C and 60–80% relative humidity under a 12:12 h light–dark cycle, while larvae were kept at 29 ± 2 °C under the same light–dark cycle. Fecundity and fertility were recorded for F0 and F24, whereas larval development time, emergence rate, blood-feeding rate, oviposition rate, and mating performance were assessed in F24. Results A total of 1871 female mosquitoes were collected across two years to establish the colony. F0 and F24 showed comparable fecundity, with mean egg loads of 85.33 (95% CI: 79.43–91.24) and 78.87 (95% CI: 69.33–88.30) eggs per female, respectively. Mean egg hatching rate was 88.62 (95% CI: 85.79–91.41) and 55.20 (95% CI: 45.77–64.64) at FO and F24 respectively. The mean pupation rate was 58.5 (95% CI: 47.81–69) with a median pupation time of 15 days. Adult emergence rates were high in both sexes, with 84.0% ± 3.37% of male pupae and 85.0% ± 5.92% of female pupae successfully emerging as adults; emergence success did not differ significantly between sexes. Females showed a blood-feeding rate of 85.21 (95% CI: 40.45–104.91) with insemination and oviposition rates of 37.5 ± 5.83% ( n = 2) and 37.5 ± 9.17% ( n = 2), respectively. Mortality recorded 24 h after blood feeding was 4.51(95% CI: 0.64–8.37). FUNBF has been maintained successfully for 24 generations with sustained egg production. Conclusions This work represents a significant advance in the domestication of An. funestus, one of the main malaria vectors in sub-Saharan Africa.