Using crowdsourcing to identify, characterise and target swarms of Anopheles funestus mosquitoes in rural Tanzania    

Malaria is transmitted by many Anopheles mosquito species but their contributions to transmission vary depending on the environment. In rural south-eastern Tanzania, the species Anopheles funestus now carries nine in every ten new malaria cases. This species is poorly understood, partly because it is difficult to rear in laboratories and because its natural populations and behaviours can be difficult to define. For example, no one had previously observed these mosquitoes mating in the wild in Tanzania until 2018 when, with the help of local community volunteers, our team discovered An. funestus mating swarms. Since these swarms repeatedly occur in very specific sites, understanding and targeting them with effective insecticides could potentially suppress vector populations and possibly malaria transmission. 

My proposed research aims to use community-based approaches to identify, characterise and effectively target swarms of An. funestus mosquitoes in rural south-eastern Tanzania.

My work will complement existing efforts to control the spread of malaria.