Habitat preference of blackflies in Omo Gibe river basin (southwest Ethiopia): Implications for onchocerciasis elimination and control.

ABSTRACT: Ecological control of blackflies (Simulium damnosum) can be an alternative or additional tool to enhance onchocerciasis elimination efforts. However, limited research is conducted on the ecology of blackflies in Ethiopia. In this study, we determined the habitat preference of blackfly larvae and their relationship with aquatic macroinvertebrate predators in the Omo Gibe river basin of southwest Ethiopia. Environmental and biological data were collected from 150 sampling sites during both dry and wet seasons in 2019. Generalized Linear Models (GLMs) were used to identify factors affecting the occurrence and abundance of S. damnosum larvae. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) was used to investigate the relationship between environmental and biological variables and the abundance of S. d

SUBMITTER: Olkeba BK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8896702 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature