Effect of attraction factors on the sampling of Chrysops silacea and C. dimidiata (Diptera: Tabanidae), vectors of Loa loa (Filaroidea: Onchocercidae) filariasis.

The effects of fire and human host density on Chrysops silacea and C. dimidiata abundance and age structure was evaluated at sites of Loa loa filariasis transmission in the Congo rain forest. Fire increased the catch of C. silacea 8.5-fold at ground level and 5-fold in the canopy, but did not modify the catch size of C. dimidiata. Catch size increased 2-fold when a pygmy camp located near the collecting station was inhabited. The presence of fire did not alter the parity and Loa loa infection rates in the populations.