BibTex format
@article{Mwima:2026:10.1186/s12936-025-05768-x,
author = {Mwima, R and Hui, T-YJ and Lukyamuzi, E and Bodde, M and Makunin, A and Birungi, K and Lukindu, M and Nanteza, A and Muhanguzi, D and Lawniczak, M and Burt, A and Kayondo, JK},
doi = {10.1186/s12936-025-05768-x},
journal = {Malaria Journal},
title = {Assessing the population genetic structure and demographic history of Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles arabiensis at island and mainland sites in Uganda: implications for testing novel malaria vector control approaches},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12936-025-05768-x},
volume = {25},
year = {2026}
}
RIS format (EndNote, RefMan)
TY - JOUR
AB - BackgroundDespite substantial investments in malaria control, the disease remains a major burden in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly Uganda. Novel tools such as gene drive systems are being developed to suppress malaria vector populations, but their deployment requires detailed knowledge of mosquito population genetics.MethodsThe genetic structure, diversity, and demographic history of Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles arabiensis were assessed at six sites in Uganda: three islands in Lake Victoria and three mainland sites. A total of 2918 An, gambiae and 173 An. arabiensis were genotyped using targeted amplicon sequencing of 62 loci across coding and non-coding regions of the genome.ResultsPopulation structure analyses revealed clear separation between the two species but little differentiation within each species across sites. Pairwise FST values among An. gambiae populations were low (0.00054–0.028) but often statistically significant, with mainland populations showing higher connectivity and island populations exhibiting greater isolation. Anopheles arabiensis mainland populations showed no statistically significant differentiation, suggesting panmixia. Principal component analysis and Bayesian clustering similarly distinguished species-level structure but no obvious substructure within sites.Mainland An. gambiae populations displayed higher nucleotide diversity than island populations, while An. arabiensis showed the lowest diversity overall. Tajima’s D values were negative across sites, consistent with recent population expansions. Effective population size estimates indicated small populations at the islands (146–249) compared to large mainland populations (4054–8190).DiscussionThese findings demonstrate strong genetic differentiation between An. gambiae and An. arabiensis, and subtle but meaningful structure between island and mainland An. gambiae populations. The reduced diversity and small effective population sizes at island sites sug
AU - Mwima,R
AU - Hui,T-YJ
AU - Lukyamuzi,E
AU - Bodde,M
AU - Makunin,A
AU - Birungi,K
AU - Lukindu,M
AU - Nanteza,A
AU - Muhanguzi,D
AU - Lawniczak,M
AU - Burt,A
AU - Kayondo,JK
DO - 10.1186/s12936-025-05768-x
PY - 2026///
SN - 1475-2875
TI - Assessing the population genetic structure and demographic history of Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles arabiensis at island and mainland sites in Uganda: implications for testing novel malaria vector control approaches
T2 - Malaria Journal
UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12936-025-05768-x
UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-025-05768-x
VL - 25
ER -