Lancaster University to help control the spread of the invasive malaria mosquito

reviewed by Emily Henderson, Bachelor of Science20 november 2020

Lancaster University is involved in a major research project that aims to control the spread of an invasive malaria mosquito in Sudan and Ethiopia. According to the World Health Organization, there were 228 million cases of malaria in 2018.

The £ 3.5 million four-year project funded by the Wellcome Trust will investigate the origins and epidemiological significance of the invasive malaria mosquito Anopheles stephensi in the Horn of Africa.

Over the next four years, Dr. Luigi Sedda from the Lancaster School of Medicine will contribute to the project with sampling, analysis and mapping of the emergence, establishment and spread of An. Stephensi in order to identify the dynamics and bionomics of the mosquito population and report its control.

This project is timely, as the Anopheles stephensi invasion is largely from the Horn of Africa. This urban vector of malaria represents an unprecedented risk for any malaria control and eradication program, since it is a highly competent vector for both Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax, the latter associated with frequent relapses of malaria in them. individuals “.

Dr. Luigi Sedda, Lancaster School of Medicine

The collaboration “Control of the emerging Anopheles stephensi in Ethiopia and Sudan- (CEASE)” brings together experts from Jimma University and the Armauer Hansen Research Institute in Ethiopia; University of Khartoum, Sudan; Institute of Tropical Medicine, Belgium; Imperial College London, Lancaster University and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine leading the project.

LSTM Professor Martin Donnelly, head of the Department of Vector Biology, said: “Historical examples, such as Anopheles arabiensis in Brazil, demonstrate that without rapid action, invasive species can establish themselves with massive impacts on morbidity and mortality.”

The collaboration will be:

• Describe the current mosquito distribution and routes of introduction using mosquito sampling, genetic ancestry analysis, and spatial modeling.
• Determine if Anopheles stephensi is associated with an increase in malaria using health system data, prospective studies to identify malaria cases, and mathematical models.
• Identify the social and ecological factors that influence the distribution of Anopheles stephensi and define and test the most appropriate mosquito control strategies.