Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

BACKGROUND: Malaria remains one of the most important infectious diseases in sub-Saharan Africa, responsible for approximately 228 million cases and 602,000 deaths in 2020. In this region, malaria transmission is driven mainly by mosquitoes of the Anopheles gambiae and, more recently, Anopheles funestus complex. The gains made in malaria control are threatened by insecticide resistance and behavioural plasticity among these vectors. This, therefore, calls for the development of alternative approaches such as malaria transmission-blocking vaccines or gene drive systems. The thioester-containing protein 1 (TEP1) gene, which mediates the killing of Plasmodium falciparum in the mosquito midgut, has recently been identified as a promising target for gene drive systems. Here we investigated the frequency and distribution of TEP1 alleles in wild-caught malaria vectors on the Kenyan coast. METHODS: Mosquitoes were collected using CDC light traps both indoors and outdoors from 20 houses in Garithe village, along the Kenyan coast. The mosquitoes were dissected, and the different parts were used to determine their species, blood meal source, and sporozoite status. The data were analysed and visualised using the R (v 4.0.1) and STATA (v 17.0). RESULTS: A total of 18,802 mosquitoes were collected, consisting of 77.8% (n = 14,631) Culex spp., 21.4% (n = 4026) An. gambiae sensu lato, 0.4% (n = 67) An. funestus, and 0.4% (n = 78) other Anopheles (An. coustani, An. pharoensis, and An. pretoriensis). Mosquitoes collected were predominantly exophilic, with the outdoor catches being higher across all the species: Culex spp. 93% (IRR = 11.6, 95% Cl [5.9-22.9] P 

Original publication

DOI

10.1186/s13071-022-05491-5

Type

Journal article

Journal

Parasit Vectors

Publication Date

01/12/2022

Volume

15

Keywords

Allele, Anopheles merus, Kenya, Thioester-containing protein 1, Animals, Kenya, Anopheles, Phylogeny, Mosquito Vectors, Genotype, Culex, Malaria Vaccines