# Project B: Transmission I Vector Bionomics

> **NIH NIH U19** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $22,220

## Abstract

Abstract 
Progress in the control of malaria has been substantial in the past five years, with estimated reductions in 
global deaths due to malaria at 60% and cases of malaria down by 37%. Despite the adoption of elimination 
strategies by many countries, sub-Saharan Africa still bears the majority of the global malaria burden, with 
more than 90% of the 438,000 annual deaths occurring in this part of the world. Vector control is the mainstay 
of malaria prevention, yet despite continued delivery of such interventions, transmission persists in many 
areas. A major factor contributing to this is the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of vectors that, in part, drive 
the differences observed in malaria transmission biology and epidemiology at both global and national scales. 
Entomological data is essential in guiding appropriate, effective, and cost-efficient malaria interventions and 
can identify gaps in existing control measures; however, most governments of malaria endemic countries lack 
the resources to carry out detailed investigations of vector dynamics. Building upon the infrastructure, 
expertise, and relationships developed by the Southern Africa ICEMR, and utilizing the more than 4 years of 
entomologic data generated under that study, this projects aims to define and extrapolate risk of vector 
exposure in the context of ongoing programmatic control at a high transmission setting along the northern 
Zambia/Democratic Republic of Congo border and at a low transmission setting in southern Zambia. It is 
expected that vector composition and behaviors will differ geographically, resulting in the varied epidemiology 
of disease in each setting. A total profile, including both indoor and outdoor biting anophelines, with a focus on 
secondary vectors, will provide a much more comprehensive understanding of vector biology and residual 
transmission. Vector activity overlaid with data of human behavior will allow quantification of exposure that 
cannot be controlled by indoor-targeted interventions. Heterogeneity in human attractiveness will be studied 
using state-of-the-art analyses of human odors. We will use satellite-derived variables and climate data from 
both stationary weather stations and those remotely sensed to generate entomological risk maps over time for 
the study areas and extend to areas where entomological collections cannot be conducted. Finally, we will 
utilize changes in parasite genetic diversity in vector mosquitoes as an indicator of successful vector control 
and reduction of transmission in high transmission settings in Zambia and the DRC. These data will help guide 
better targeting and evaluation of control interventions in these areas and areas with similar ecology.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10127562
- **Project number:** 5U19AI089680-12
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** DOUGLAS E NORRIS
- **Activity code:** U19 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $22,220
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2010-07-01 → 2024-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10127562

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10127562, Project B: Transmission I Vector Bionomics (5U19AI089680-12). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10127562. Licensed CC0.

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