# Area B Transmission

> **NIH NIH U19** · UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA · 2024 · $274,998

## Abstract

PROGRAM PROJECT 2 [PP2]: Bionomics, Ecology, & Control of An. stephensi (BECA) against the
background of endemic primary and secondary anopheline vectors.
ABSTRACT/SUMMARY
The introduction of Anopheles stephensi Liston (AS) to Djibouti and Ethiopia – evidence of further expansion of
AS inland into Sudan, across the strait to Yemen and more recently into Kenya, Nigeria, and Ghana― has
justifiably raised “alarm bells”. Between 2013-2017, following the introduction of AS to Djibouti, national surveys
have indicated that the number of malaria cases have increased significantly across the country, supported by
recent entomological surveys that indicate AS infections with Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) and P. vivax (Pv). AS
has demonstrated preference for similar breeding habitats as the urban dengue vector Aedes aegypti. Therefore,
the risk of a return of malaria into highly dense, urbanized cities and towns in Nigeria, Cameroon, and throughout
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is concerning. Evidence from Ethiopia suggested that AS in the Somali region are
also resistant to pyrethroid-based insecticides. The overarching hypothesis to be explored in PP2 is that multiple
introductions of AS was likely due to overland commercial traffic/transhumance and via seaports of entry (e.g.,
in the case of Accra, Ghana) and that these introductions and subsequent successful establishment are
influenced by habitat suitability (invasibility). The project will leverage innovative technology to extensively map
and characterize AS vector genomics and bionomics in Central and West Africa that will allows us to answer four
priority questions viz. AS invasion of SSA: (i) Where did invasive AS populations originate from and are there
continuous introductions?; (ii) How long have AS populations been established in different locations?; (iii) What
are the necessary/optimal conditions supporting AS establishment?; and (iv) What is the potential contribution of
AS to malaria transmission in study locales? Therefore, this Émergents ICEMR program project seeks to: Aim
PP2.1. Conduct a cross-national comprehensive mosquito genomic surveillance program to hunt for and
characterize invasive An. Stephensi; Aim PP2.2. Geospatial analyses of AS strain biology and micro-
ecologies to quantify habitat suitability or invasibility to enable predictions for AS spread; and Aim PP.2.3
Mosquito speciation, insecticide resistance, and infection status using a field-deployable Matrix-
assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). Key outcomes of PP2 are to (i)
develop a predictive model for An. stephensi invasion into non-endemic sites by understanding the microecology
including the role of sympatric non-anopheline mosquito vectors, (ii) determine the prevalence of Pf, NFM, and
Pf-NFM mixed sporozoite infections in anopheline vectors (AS included) in surveyed sites; (iii) validate an
artificial intelligence-driven smart trap; and (iv) establish an “all-in-one” LMIC-deployable MALDI ana...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10837544
- **Project number:** 1U19AI181594-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
- **Principal Investigator:** Rhoel David Ramos Dinglasan
- **Activity code:** U19 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $274,998
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-04-22 → 2029-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10837544

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10837544, Area B Transmission (1U19AI181594-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10837544. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*