Landscape changes, genetic structure of malaria vectors and their parasites in Senegal: impact on malaria epidemiology and control

Sub-Saharan Africa carries the heaviest malaria burden worldwide. However, the incidence of malaria has been reduced significantly by scaling-up insecticide-based vector control interventions, such as indoor residual spraying (IRS) and long-lasting insecticide-treated nets (LLIN). The decline of malaria makes elimination a possibility, especially in areas where vector populations are particularly vulnerable, such as arid regions of sub-Saharan Africa. However, to achieve elimination, increasingly detailed information about the characteristics of both the vector and the parasite populations would be needed so that control measures can be optimally targeted and new interventions can be designed. How the environment affects the interconnection of vector populations and their vulnerability to control is poorly understood. 

We will combine country-wide sampling of the major malaria vector Anopheles arabiensis in Senegal. Whole genome sequencing will identify markers of local adaptation, and we will investigate how environment acts as a template for population size and connectivity. 

The results will provide information on the inter-relationship of vector and environment, and specific information on how to predict vulnerability and optimally target populations to improve malaria control.

This grant was awarded under the scheme's previous name of Training Fellowship in Public Health and Tropical Medicine.