Identifikasi Molekuler Vektor Malaria Anopheles Maculatus Complex di Desa Ujung Bandar, Kabupaten Langkat, Sumatera Utara

Abstract

Malaria in Indonesia remains a contagious disease with a high number of cases each year. Limitations in identifying malaria vectors can hinder vector control activities. The diversity of biological characteristics, such as species complexes, affects the transmission of malaria. Anopheles maculatus complex is one of the malaria vectors distributed throughout Indonesia, particularly on the islands of Sumatra and Java. Limitations in morphological identification pose challenges in distinguishing species within the An. maculatus complex. In this study, alternative methods such as molecular identification to provide more detailed information. An. maculatus complex mosquitoes were captured in residential and plantation areas of Dusun II and V, Ujung Bandar Village, then morphologically identified and analyzed molecularly in the laboratory. Mosquito DNA was amplified using the ITS2 gene and followed by the RFLP method. The study results showed that only one of the nine species of the An. maculatus complex was found in the research area. The fragments produced by RFLP exhibited the same polymorphism pattern in the tested mosquitoes. The phylogenetic results of the An. maculatus complex sequences showed that the tested samples resembled the An. maculatus species found in several regions of Indonesia, such as North Kalimantan and Sabang, as well as in Southeast Asia, including Thailand and Malaysia.