Ecological and genetic drivers of persistent Plasmodium transmission by Anopheles funestus, a major malaria vector in Kenya

Malaria has largely been controlled using vector control tools. We however, have a poor understanding of malaria persistence even in areas of high bednet coverage as in Kenya. Monitoring aspects of mosquito vectors are crucial for risk assessment and guiding vector control including mosquito genetics. Multiple locally adapted vector subpopulations could modulate the persistence and spread of malaria through space and time. This proposal will address the importance of within-vector ecology for malaria transmission, by elucidating the ecologic and genetic mechanisms impacting on expression of resistance traits in Anopheles funestus in malaria transmission with consequences for effective control. This mosquito is a leading vector of contemporary malaria in Kenya. Findings will inform monitoring strategies for current control programs and approaches tailored to the local epidemiology towards malaria elimination, including insights on how resistance phenotypes impact vector transmission traits e.g. competence and survival, to inform operational sustainability of insecticide-based control measures.