# Characterizing malaria vector competence among natural populations of Anopheles

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE · 2022 · $181,266

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The burden of malaria remains high in many regions of Africa, despite widespread availability of malaria control
measures. The recent report of increases in malaria infection rates in Africa highlights the need to ensure that
current and future interventions target the key sources of malaria transmission in these settings. The
susceptibility of an Anopheles mosquito to permit ingested Plasmodium gametocytes to develop fully to the
transmissible sporozoite stage, or vector competence, remains poorly understood. In Malawi and many other
regions in southern and eastern Africa, Anopheles funestus and Anopheles arabiensis are now the most common
malaria vectors and may have important variability in vector competence that has not been considered in control
and elimination efforts.
 Our long-term goal is to better understand the contributions of both humans and vectors to transmission
of malaria parasites to design effective vector control strategies for the highest-burden regions of Africa. We
have the unique opportunity to conduct a rigorous assessment of the vector competence of the key malaria
vectors in Malawi through our on-going projects in the Malawi International Center of Excellence in Malaria
Research (ICEMR). The proposed study is being led by an epidemiologist who serves as the project leader for
a transmission study within the ICEMR that focuses on the human to vector phases of the cycle, and an
entomologist who leads the ICEMR entomology core. We have established a well-functioning insectary and
routinely collect live female Anopheles mosquitoes from several high transmission settings in the region. In
addition, we are establishing a cohort of children and adults who will be followed to identify P. falciparum
infections that contain gametocytes. We will use specimens collected from these gametocyte-infected donors to
compare vector competence between colony-reared An. gambiae Kisumu and field-caught An. funestus and An.
arabiensis to test the hypotheses that vector competence of natural An. funestus and An. arabiensis differs from
each other and from the colony strain. We will further evaluate variation in vector competence among isofemale
lines of the same Anopheles species to assess the heritability of vector competence. Finally, we propose
comparing vector competence within the same species but from geographically isolated areas of Malawi.
 The expected outcomes of this proposal include estimates of vector competence for An. arabiensis and
An. funestus. Identifying significant differences in vector competence among species, within species or based
on region of origin, may indicate the need to investigate a genomic basis for vector competence. Our results will
also impact the rational implementation of vector control measures in Malawi and other high transmission
settings.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10318655
- **Project number:** 5R21AI156297-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE
- **Principal Investigator:** Miriam K. Laufer
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $181,266
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-12-15 → 2023-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10318655

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10318655, Characterizing malaria vector competence among natural populations of Anopheles (5R21AI156297-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10318655. Licensed CC0.

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