Population genetics of malaria vectors

Full Title Population genetics of malaria vectors in mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar and potential for spread of insecticide resistance.  Short Title Population Genetics  Project Leader Deodutus Maliti  Description Very little information is available on the population structure of the major malaria vector, Anopheles gambiae s.s. in Tanzania. Potential barriers to gene flow exist between mainland Tanzania and the islands of Zanzibar, and within ecological islands on either side of the Great Rift Valley. Such barriers, be they genetic or physical, can have a profound impact on the success and sustainability of malaria control activities. For example, the emergence and spread of insecticide resistance, which is widely recognised as one of the major threats to malaria control activities, is influenced by the effective population size of vector populations and the level of gene flow between neighbouring populations. Resistance to the pyrethroid insecticides that are used to treat bed-nets, and are currently being used for indoor residual spraying in Tanzania, has reached worrying levels in neighbouring countries and with the intense selection pressure currently exerted on vector populations there are justifiable fears that the spread of this resistance throughout Tanzania could jeopardise current malaria control activities. Furthermore the success of future control strategies that may include genetic control approaches is also heavily dependent on the level of gene flow in malaria vectors. By studying the genetic diversity of An gambiae s.s. throughout the country, and monitoring for the presence of insecticide resistance associated alleles, we will be able to make informed predictions on the sustainability of current and future malaria control activities in the country. The project's objectives are; 1. To study the population genetics of malaria vectors in Tanzania and determine insecticide resistance status using molecular methods 2. To study the population genetics of An. gambiae s.s. in Zanzibar and Mainland Tanzania and potential for spread of insecticide resistance between localities. 3. To determine presence of insecticide resistance alleles in An. gambiae s.s. using molecular assays.  Collaborators Gerry Killeen          Ifakara Health Institute Hilary Ranson         Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine  Source of funding Wellcome Trust (UK)  Start Date April 2009                                     End Date     August 2011

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