Objective: To determine the significance of temperature, rainfall and humidity in the seasonal abundance of Anopheles stephensi in southern Iran. Methods: Data on the monthly abundance of Anopheles stephensi larvae and adults were gathered from earlier studies conducted between 2002 and 2019 in malaria prone areas of southeastern Iran. Climatic data for the studied counties were obtained from climatology stations. Generalized estimating equations method was used for cluster correlation of data for each study site in different years. Results: A significant relationship was found between monthly density of adult and larvae of Anopheles stephensi and precipitation, max temperature and mean temperature, both with simple and multiple generalized estimating equations analysis (P<0.05). But when analysis was done with one month lag, only relationship between monthly density of adults and larvae of Anopheles stephensi and max temperature was significant (P<0.05). Conclusions: This study provides a basis for developing multivariate time series models, which can be used to develop improved appropriate epidemic prediction systems for these areas. Long-term entomological study in the studied sites by expert teams is recommended to compare the abundance of malaria vectors in the different areas and their association with climatic variables. Abbasi Madineh 1 Deparment of Medical Entomology & Vector Control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran; Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center,Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz Rahimi Foroushani Abbas 2 Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran Jafari-Koshki Tohid 3 Molecular Medicine Research Center; Department of Statistics and Epidemiology, Faculty of Health, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz Pakdad Kamran 4 Department of Parasitology & Mycology, Paramedical School, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran Vatandoost Hassan 5 Deparment of Medical Entomology & Vector Control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran Hanafi-Bojd Ahmad 6 Deparment of Medical Entomology & Vector Control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran WHO. Malaria report 2019. Geneva: WHO; 2019. Vatandoost H, Raeisi A, Saghafipour A, Nikpour F, Nejati J. Malaria situation in Iran: 2002-2017. Malar J 2019; 18: 200. Hanafi-Bojd AA, Azari-Hamidian S, Vatandoost H, Charrahy Z. Spatio-temporal distribution of malaria vectors (Diptera: Culicidae) across different climatic zones of Iran. Asian Pac J Trop Med 2011; 6: 498-504. Vatandoost H, Oshaghi MA, Abaie MR, Shahi M, Yaghoobi F, Baghaii M, et al. Bionomics of Anopheles stephensi Liston in the malarious area of Hormozgan Province, southern Iran. Acta Trop 2006; 97(2): 196-203. Faulde MK, Rueda LM, Khaireh BA. First record of the Asian malaria vector Anopheles stephensi and its possible role in the resurgence of malaria in Djibouti, Horn of Africa. Acta Trop 2014; 139: 39-43. Gayan Dharmasiri G, Yashan Perera A, Harishchandra J, Herath H, Aravindan K, Jayasooriya HTR, et al. First record of Anopheles stephensi in Sri Lanka: A potential challenge for prevention of malaria reintroduction. Malar J 2017; 16: 326. Carter TE, Yared S, Gebresilassie A, Bonnell V, Damodaran L, Lopez K, et al. First detection of Anopheles stephensi Liston, 1901 (Diptera: Culicidae) in Ethiopia using molecular and morphological approaches. Acta Trop 2018; 188: 180-186. Zhou G, Munga S, Minakawa N. Spatial relationship between adult malaria vector abundance and environmental factors in western Kenya highlands. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2007; 77(1): 29-35. Bashar K, Tuno N. Seasonal abundance of Anopheles mosquitoes and their association with meteorological factors and malaria incidence in Bangladesh. Parasites Vectors 2014; 7: 442. Gardiner LS. Climate change and vector-borne disease. University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. 2018. [Online]. Available from: https://scied.ucar.edu/longcontent/climate-change-and-vector-borne- disease [Accessed on 9 June 2019]. Patz JA, Lindsay SW. New challenges, new tools: The impact of climate change on infectious diseases. Curr Opin Microbiol 1999; 2(4): 445-451. Khormi HM, Kumar L. Future malaria spatial pattern based on the potential global warming impact in South and Southeast Asia. Geospat Health 2016; 11(3). doi: 10.4081/gh.2016.416. Ren Z, Wang D, Ma A, Hwang J, Bennett A, Sturrock HJW, et al. Predicting malaria vector distribution under climate change scenarios in China: Challenges for malaria elimination. Sci Rep 2016; 6: 20604. Campbell-lendrum D, Woodruff R. Climate change: Quantifying the health impact at national and local levels. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2007. Hanafi-Bojd AA. Using of remote sensing and geographical information system for estabiling a malaria monitoring system in the Bashadgard endemic focus, Hormozgan Province, Iran. Ph.D. Thesis. Tehran University of Medical Sciences; 2010. No. 4526. Mohammadkhani M, Khanjani N, Bakhtiari B, Sheikhzadeh K. The relation between climatic factors and malaria incidence in Kerman, South East of Iran. Parasite Epidemiol Control 2016; 1: 205-210. Statistical Center of Iran. Country statistical yearbook. 1st ed. Iran: Management & Planning Organization; 2018, p.100-120. Basseri HR, Moosakazemi SH, Yosafi S. Mohebali M, Hajaran H, Jedari M. Anthropophily of malaria vectors in Kahnouj district, south of Kerman, Iran. Iran J Public Health 2005; 34(2): 27-35. Fathian M, Vatandoost H, Moosa-Kazemi H, Raeisi A, Yaghoobi-Ershadi MR, Oshaghi MA, et al. Susceptibility of Culicidae mosquitoes to some insecticides recommended by WHO in a malaria endemic area of Southeastern Iran. J Arthropod-Borne Dis 2015; 9(1): 22-34. Mojahedi A, Basseri HR, Raeisi A, Pakari A. Bioecological characteristics of malaria vectors in different geographical areas of Bandar Abbas County, 2014. J Prev Med 2016; 3(1): 18-25. Nedjati J. The study on some bioecological characteristics of malaria vectors and monitoring of their suseptibility levels to some insecticides in Sarbaz county, Sistan va Baluchestan province. MSc. Thesis. Tehran University of Medical Sciences; 2011. No. 5046. Poudat A. Epidemiological survey of malaria in Bandar Abbas County, 1998-2002. MSc. Thesis. Tehran University of Medical Sciences; 2003. No. 3375. Yeryan M, Basseri HR, Hanafi-Bojd AA, Raeisi A, Edalat H, Safari R. Bio-ecology of malaria vectors in an endemic area, Southeast of Iran. Asian Pac J Trop Med 2016; 9(1): 32-38. Iran Meteorological Organization. Specialized products and services weather. 2019. [Online]. Available from: https://data.irimo.ir/ [Accessed on 10 April 2019]. Cui J. QIC program and model selection in GEE analyses. Stata J 2007; 7(2): 209-220. Aytekin S, Aytekin AM, Alten B. Effect of different larval rearing temperatures on the productivity (R0) and morphology of the malaria vector Anopheles superpictus Grassi (Diptera: Culicidae) using geometric morphometrics. J Vec Ecol 2009; 34: 32-42. Lardeux FJ, Tejerina RH, Quispe V, Chavez TK. A physiological time analysis of the duration of the gonotrophic cycle of Anopheles pseudopunctipennis and its implications for malaria transmission in Bolivia. Malar J 2008; 7: 141. Simon-Oke IA, Olofintoye LK. The effect of climatic factors on the distribution and abundance of mosquito vectors in Ekiti State. J Biol Agri Healthcare 2015; 5(9): 142-146. Jemal Y, Al-Thukair AA. Combining GIS application and climatic factors for mosquito control in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. Saudi J Biol Sci 2016; 25(8):1593-1602. Msugh-Ter MM, Aondowase DA, Terese AE. Association of meteorological factors with two principal malaria vector complexes in the University of Agriculture Makurdi community, Central Nigeria. Am J Entomol 2017; 1(2): 31-38. [31 ]Kabbale FG, Akol AM, Kaddu JB, Ambrose W. Biting patterns and seasonality of Anopheles gambiae sensu lato and Anopheles funestus mosquitoes in Kamuli District, Uganda Onapa. Parasit Vectors 2013; 6: 340. Paaijmans KP, Wandago OM, Githeko AK, Takken W. Unexpected high losses of Anopheles gambiae larvae due to rainfall. PLoS One 2007; 2(11): e1146. Gillooly JF, Brown JH, West GB, Savage VM, Charnov EL. Effects of size and temperature on metabolic rate. Science 2001; 293: 2248-2251. Koenraadt CJ, Paaijmans KP, Schneider P, Githeko AK, Takken W. Low level vector survival explains unstable malaria in the western Kenya highlands. Trop Med Int Health 2006; 11(8): 1195-1205. Munga S, Minakawa N, Zhou G, Githeko AK, Yan G. Survivorship of immature stages of Anopheles gambiae s.l. (Diptera: Culicidae) in natural habitats in western Kenya highlands. J Med Entomol 2007; 44: 758-764. Afrane YA, Zhou G, Lawson BW, Githeko AK, Yan G. Effects of microclimatic changes due to deforestation on the survivorship and reproductive fitness of Anopheles gambiae in Western Kenya Highlands. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2006; 74: 772-778. Afrane YA, Githeko AK, Yan G. The Ecology of Anopheles mosquitoes under climate change: Case studies from the effects of environmental changes in East Africa highlands. Ann Acad Sci 2012; 1249: 204-210. Abbasi F, Babaeian I, Malboosi SH, Asmari M, Mokhtari LG. Climate change assessment over Iran during future decades, using statistical downscaling of ECHO-G model. J Geogr Res 2012; 104: 205-230 (In Persian).

Objective: To evaluate the susceptibility of Anopheles stephensi (An. stephensi) Liston, the main malaria vector in southern Iran, to WHO recommended insecticides. Methods: Larvae of An. stephensi were collected from three different larval habitats in both urban and rural area of Bandar Abbas city and one rural area in Rudan county southern Iran. WHO standard method was used for evaluation of adult and larval mosquito susceptibility. Bendiocarb, permethrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, deltamethrin as insecticide and temephos and chlorpyriphos as larvicide were used at the diagnostic dosages recommended by WHO. Results: Findings of this study showed all larval populations of An. stephensi were completely susceptible to temephos and candidate for resistance to chlorpyriphos. Adult mosquitoes in rural areas of Bandar Abbas city were resistant to pyrethroid and carbamate insecticides. Conclusion: Comparison of the results of this survey with previous studies indicates that the resistance to pyrethroids and carbamates in this malaria endemic region is increasing. Wide use of pesticides in agriculture is certainly effective in increasing resistance. The inter-sectoral coordination and collaboration in health and agriculture seem to be necessary to manage insecticide resistance in malaria vectors.