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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
A supervised land cover classification of a western Kenya lowland endemic for human malaria: Associations of land cover with larval Anopheles habitats
International Journal of Health Geographics, Volume 8, No. 1, Article 19, Year 2009
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Description
Background: A supervised land cover classification was developed from very high resolution IKONOS satellite data and extensive ground truth sampling of a ca. 10 sq km malaria-endemic lowland in western Kenya. The classification was then applied to an investigation of distribution of larval Anopheles habitats. The hypothesis was that the distribution and abundance of aquatic habitats of larvae of various species of mosquitoes in the genus Anopheles is associated with identifiable landscape features. Results and discussion: The classification resulted in 7 distinguishable land cover types, each with a distinguishable vegetation pattern, was highly accurate (89%, Kappa statistic = 0.86), and had a low rate of omission and commission errors. A total of 1,198 habitats and 19,776 Anopheles larvae of 9 species were quantified in samples from a rainy season, and 184 habitats and 582 larvae from a dry season. Anopheles gambiae s.l. was the dominant species complex (51% of total) and A. arabiensis the dominant species. Agricultural land covers (mature maize fields, newly cultivated fields, and pastured grasslands) were positively associated with presence of larval habitats, and were located relatively close to stream channels; whilst nonagricultural land covers (short shrubs, medium shrubs, tall shrubs, and bare soil around residences) were negatively associated with presence of larval habitats and were more distant from stream channels. Number of larval habitats declined exponentially with distance from streams. IKONOS imagery was not useful in direct detection of larval habitats because they were small and turbid (resembling bare soil), but was useful in localization of them through statistical associations with specific land covers. Conclusion: A supervised classification of land cover types in rural, lowland, western Kenya revealed a largely human-modified and fragmented landscape consisting of agricultural and domestic land uses. Within it, larval habitats of Anopheles vectors of human malaria were associated with certain land cover types, of largely agricultural origin, and close to streams. Knowledge of these associations can inform malaria control to gather information on potential larval habitats more efficiently than by field survey and can do so over large areas. © 2009 Mutuku et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
Authors & Co-Authors
Mutuku, Francis Maluki
Kenya, Nairobi
Kenya Medical Research Institute
Bayoh, Mohamed Nabie
Kenya, Nairobi
Kenya Medical Research Institute
Hightower, Allen W.
Kenya, Nairobi
Kenya Medical Research Institute
Vulule, John M.
Kenya, Nairobi
Kenya Medical Research Institute
Gimnig, John E.
United States, Atlanta
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Mueke, Jones M.
Kenya, Nairobi
Kenyatta University
Amimo, Fred A.
Kenya, Eldoret
The University of Eastern Africa, Baraton
Walker, Edward D.
Kenya, Nairobi
Kenya Medical Research Institute
United States, East Lansing
Michigan State University
Statistics
Citations: 77
Authors: 8
Affiliations: 5
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1186/1476-072X-8-19
e-ISSN:
1476072X
Research Areas
Infectious Diseases
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study
Study Approach
Quantitative
Study Locations
Kenya