Population genomics of malaria vector Anopheles stephensi diptera culicidae in Central India

Abstract

Anopheles stephensi is the key urban malaria vector in the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East and is among the 60 vector species considered important in transmission of malaria. Anopheles stephensi contributes about 12 % of the total malaria cases in India. The populations of An. stephensi from Madhya Pradesh (Central India) were studied to assess its population genetic structure using microsatellite markers. Microsatellites developed by verardi et al. (2002) and Djadid et al. (2003) for An. stephensi were used in the study. Microsatellites were selected because they are selectively neutral and found to be variable even in populations which have low levels of allozyme and mitochondrial variation. It was hypothesized that the complex topography of Madhya Pradesh should cause significant population structuring in different populations of An. stephensi. Contrary to proposed hypothesis, very weak genetic structuring was found between the different populations of An. stephensi from the Madhya Pradesh (Central India). All the 13 loci used in the study were highly polymorphic and heterozygote deficit was found due to the presence of null alleles