u 



Mosquito Wouk in Khartoum and in tiik Anglo-Eovi'tian 



Sudan generally 



Prevalence 

 of Mosquitoes 

 ill Khartoum 



Before reaching Khartoum one had been iufornu'd by certain residents that 

 the town contained wry few mosquitoes, that those of the mahiria-carrying 

 genera grouped under the sub-family Anophehna were unknown and that malaria 

 did not occur. It was speedily apparent that such was not the case. Before 

 any measui-es were taken against them, mosquitoes bred in their tens of thousands 

 in Khartoiun, the family Anophclina was represented by one genus and species 

 to a considerable extent, though limited as to locality, and malaria was and is 

 present, though whether it is frequently acquired in Khartoiun itself is another 

 question and one moi'e difficult to answer. 



By far the commonest mosquito in the town and neighbourhood is the 

 Cidex fatigans (Wied.), so widely distributed throughout the tropics. The female 

 of this insect has for some time been known to be capable of conveying the 

 parasite of the disease, filariasis, from the sick to the sound. Of this disease 

 elephantiasis is a form and elephantiasis occurs in the Sudan. Further, the 

 recent laborious researches of Dr. Graham, of Bep-out,' seem to have conclu- 

 sively proved that this mosquito is the transgressor in the case of dengue or 

 dandy fever, foi'ming the intermediate host for the protozoon of that disease, 

 cuiex fatigans, One first encouutcred the Oulex fatigans in the Grand Hotel, where this species 

 was very numerous and annoying, and the cause of many complaints by residents. 

 The reason of its presence was not far to seek. The hotel possessed a well, the 

 well water possessed egg-boats, larvae, and pupas in abundance and those in 

 charge possessed no knowledge of the life-history of the mosquito. This well 

 was in no way jaeculiar, for subsequent researches showed that more than half 

 the wells throughout the length and breadth of Khartoum, and there are in the 

 town over 600 wells, formed breeding places for the ubit^uitous Culex. 



This mosquito is voracious, nocturnal in its habits, and distinctly annoying, 

 but in a place like Khartoum is unlikely to be the cause of much transference 

 of disease, save in the presence of an epidemic of dengue, which, if Dr. Graham 

 be ccn-rect, it would spread wholesale. The dry climate of Khartoum is scarcely 

 suited for filariasis, nor if Bastian's hypothesis" be correct, and the Filaria 

 perstans be proved to be a Tylenchus and associated with the cultivation of the 

 banana, is that parasite likely to occui* to any extent, for banana plants are few 

 and far between, and the fruit is not used in these parts. But, then again, 

 Khartoum is a centre, and natives are continually coming and going and passing 

 through it, while steamers constantly reach it from the humid and typically 

 tropical regions of the Southern Sudan. Herein lies a danger, and, as a matter 

 of fact. Dr. Christopherson has reported one case of elephantiasis from Omdurmau 

 and I have seen a second under the care of Major Bray in Khartomn. 



a filaria- 

 carrier 



Mosquitoes 

 and disease 



' Journal of Tropical Medicine, 1/2/03 



'Lancet, 30/1/04 



