Malaria transmission by Anopheles punctulatus in the highlands of Irian Jaya, Indonesia

A 21-month (1991-1992) assessment of malaria and the relative contribution of Anopheles punctulatus and An. koliensis to its transmission was conducted in Oksibil, a highland community in Irian Jaya, Indonesia. Nearly all (98%) of the 2577 Anopheles from indoor or outdoor human-landing collections were An. punctulatus. Nineteen (0.75%) of the 2518 An. punctulatus tested were positive when tested for malaria circumsporozoite protein (CSP) by ELISA: nine (45% of positives) for Plasmodium vivax-210, six (30%) for Plasmodium falciparum, three (15%) for P. vivax-247 and two (10%) for P. malariae. One mosquito was positive for both P. vivax 210 and P. falciparum. All 59 An. koliensis tested were negative. All mosquitoes positive for CSP were from indoor collections, 89% from the main houses and the remaining 11% from the traditional dwellings (bokams). These findings are discussed with respect to highland malaria epidemiology and transmission in the Oksibil Valley.