Assessing the impacts of insecticide resistance on vectorial competence of Anopheles gambiae from Uganda (360G-Wellcome-203511_Z_16_Z)

Malaria in Sub-Saharran Africa is caused by Plasmodium species, in particular P. falciparum, transmitted by the mosquito vector, Anopheles gambiae. Anti-vector strategies for controlling mosquito populations rely on the use of insecticides. Unfortunately, An. gambiae has developed intense insecticide resistance that not only prevents their killing but also may impact their physiology and susceptibility to infection with P. falciparum. Studies assessing infection in insecticide-resistant mosquitoes are needed urgently. The transmission of the human malaria parasite, P. falciparum by An. gambiae remains a crucial step yet weak point in the life cycle of the parasite. Certain factors can affect this process; For instance, mutations causing insecticide resistance may make mosquitoes more susceptible to human malaria parasites leading to increased transmission. This project aims to understand how insecticide resistance mutations in mosquitoes impact the transmission of malaria in a highly endemic region of Uganda by determining the prevalence and mean intensity of P. falciparum infection in insecticide-resistant and susceptible mosquitoes. These experiments will test the hypothesis that specific insecticide resistance mosquito genotypes affect parasite survival.