Impact of malaria vector diversity on intervention strategies

The burden of malaria in Malawi is among the highest in the world despite increasing coverage of standard interventions over the last two decades. One factor that contributes to continued parasite transmission is the diversity of malaria vectors, yet important aspects of this diversity remain poorly characterized. Aim 1 will characterize vector competence in Anopheles funestus and Anopheles arabiensis, the two dominant malaria vector species in Malawi, using experimental membrane feeding assays with field-collected An. funestus and An. arabiensis. Aim 2 will assess the impact of species-level variation in vector competence on malaria intervention effectiveness using an agent-based stochastic model to compare malaria intervention effectiveness under scenarios with a range of variation in mosquito susceptibility to P. falciparum infection. Aim 3 will determine the relationship between geographic proximity and genetic relatedness for malaria vectors in Africa using geospatially informed bioinformatics tools to estimate migration patterns of malaria vectors. The results from these studies will improve our understanding of the persistence of malaria parasite transmission. Dr. McCann’s goal is to become an independent investigator in vector ecology, while maintaining the strong interdisciplinary collaborations necessary to make advancements in malaria intervention design, implementation, and evaluation. 

NIH Project details

Health Systems & Op. Research
Modeling
Vector Control

Sep 2020 — Aug 2025

$534,732

Malawi

Genetic Epidemiology