scholarly journals Malaria vector species composition and entomological indices following indoor residual spraying in regions bordering Lake Victoria, Tanzania

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Elias Kakilla ◽  
Alphaxard Manjurano ◽  
Karen Nelwin ◽  
Jackline Martin ◽  
Fabian Mashauri ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Vector control through long lasting insecticidal nets and focal indoor residual spraying (IRS) is a major component of the Tanzania national malaria control strategy. In mainland Tanzania, IRS has been conducted annually around Lake Victoria basin since 2007. Due to pyrethroid resistance in malaria vectors, use of pyrethroids for IRS was phased out and from 2014 to 2017 pirimiphos-methyl (Actellic® 300CS) was sprayed in regions of Kagera, Geita, Mwanza and Mara. Entomological surveillance was conducted in ten sprayed and four unsprayed sites to determine the impact of IRS on entomological indices related to malaria transmission risk. Methods: WHO Cone bioassays were conducted monthly on interior house walls to determine residual efficacy of pirimiphos-methyl CS. Indoor CDC light traps with or without bottle rotator were hung next to protected sleepers indoors and also set outdoors (un-baited) as a proxy measure for indoor and outdoor biting rate and time of biting. Prokopack aspirators were used indoors to capture potentially resting malaria vector. A sub-sample of Anopheles were tested by PCR to determine species identity and ELISA for sporozoite rate. Results: Annual IRS with Actellic® 300CS from 2015 to 2017 was effective on sprayed walls for a mean of 7 months in cone bioassay. PCR of 2016 and 2017 samples showed vector populations were predominantly An. arabiensis (58.1%, n=4,403 IRS sites, 58%, n=2,441 unsprayed sites). There was a greater proportion of An. funestus s.s. in unsprayed sites (20.4%, n=858) than sprayed sites (7.9%, n=595) and fewer An. parensis (2%, n=85 unsprayed, 7.8%, n=591 sprayed). Biting peaks of An. gambiae s.l. followed periods of rainfall occurring between October and April, but were generally lower in sprayed sites than unsprayed. In most sprayed sites, An. gambiae s.l. indoor densities increased between January and February, i.e. 10-12 months after IRS. The predominant species An. arabiensis had a sporozoite rate in 2017 of 2.0% (95% CI: 1.4-2.9) in unsprayed sites compared to 0.8% (95% CI: 0.5-1.3) in sprayed sites (p=0.003). Sporozoite rates were also lower for An. funestus collected in sprayed sites. Conclusion: This study contributes to the understanding of malaria vector species composition, behavior and transmission risk following IRS around Lake Victoria and can be used to guide malaria vector control strategies in Tanzania.

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Kakilla ◽  
Alphaxard Manjurano ◽  
Karen Nelwin ◽  
Jackline Martin ◽  
Fabian Mashauri ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Vector control through long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) and focal indoor residual spraying (IRS) is a major component of the Tanzania national malaria control strategy. In mainland Tanzania, IRS has been conducted annually around Lake Victoria basin since 2007. Due to pyrethroid resistance in malaria vectors, use of pyrethroids for IRS was phased out and from 2014 to 2017 pirimiphos-methyl (Actellic® 300CS) was sprayed in regions of Kagera, Geita, Mwanza, and Mara. Entomological surveillance was conducted in 10 sprayed and 4 unsprayed sites to determine the impact of IRS on entomological indices related to malaria transmission risk. Methods WHO cone bioassays were conducted monthly on interior house walls to determine residual efficacy of pirimiphos-methyl CS. Indoor CDC light traps with or without bottle rotator were hung next to protected sleepers indoors and also set outdoors (unbaited) as a proxy measure for indoor and outdoor biting rate and time of biting. Prokopack aspirators were used indoors to capture resting malaria vectors. A sub-sample of Anopheles was tested by PCR to determine species identity and ELISA for sporozoite rate. Results Annual IRS with Actellic® 300CS from 2015 to 2017 was effective on sprayed walls for a mean of 7 months in cone bioassay. PCR of 2016 and 2017 samples showed vector populations were predominantly Anopheles arabiensis (58.1%, n = 4,403 IRS sites, 58%, n = 2,441 unsprayed sites). There was a greater proportion of Anopheles funestus sensu stricto in unsprayed sites (20.4%, n = 858) than in sprayed sites (7.9%, n = 595) and fewer Anopheles parensis (2%, n = 85 unsprayed, 7.8%, n = 591 sprayed). Biting peaks of Anopheles gambiae sensu lato (s.l.) followed periods of rainfall occurring between October and April, but were generally lower in sprayed sites than unsprayed. In most sprayed sites, An. gambiae s.l. indoor densities increased between January and February, i.e., 10–12 months after IRS. The predominant species An. arabiensis had a sporozoite rate in 2017 of 2.0% (95% CI 1.4–2.9) in unsprayed sites compared to 0.8% (95% CI 0.5–1.3) in sprayed sites (p = 0.003). Sporozoite rates were also lower for An. funestus collected in sprayed sites. Conclusion This study contributes to the understanding of malaria vector species composition, behaviour and transmission risk following IRS around Lake Victoria and can be used to guide malaria vector control strategies in Tanzania.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Elias Kakilla ◽  
Alphaxard Manjurano ◽  
Karen Nelwin ◽  
Jackline Martin ◽  
Fabian Mashauri ◽  
...  

Abstract BackgroundVector control through long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) and focal indoor residual spraying (IRS) is a major component of the Tanzania national malaria control strategy. In mainland Tanzania, IRS has been conducted annually around Lake Victoria basin since 2007. Due to pyrethroid resistance in malaria vectors, use of pyrethroids for IRS was phased out and from 2014 to 2017 pirimiphos-methyl (Actellic® 300CS) was sprayed in regions of Kagera, Geita, Mwanza, and Mara. Entomological surveillance was conducted in 10 sprayed and 4 unsprayed sites to determine the impact of IRS on entomological indices related to malaria transmission risk.MethodsWHO cone bioassays were conducted monthly on interior house walls to determine residual efficacy of pirimiphos-methyl CS. Indoor CDC light traps with or without bottle rotator were hung next to protected sleepers indoors and also set outdoors (unbaited) as a proxy measure for indoor and outdoor biting rate and time of biting. Prokopack aspirators were used indoors to capture potentially resting malaria vectors. A sub-sample of Anopheles was tested by PCR to determine species identity and ELISA for sporozoite rate. ResultsAnnual IRS with Actellic® 300CS from 2015 to 2017 was effective on sprayed walls for a mean of 7 months in cone bioassay. PCR of 2016 and 2017 samples showed vector populations were predominantly Anopheles arabiensis (58.1%, n=4,403 IRS sites, 58%, n=2,441 unsprayed sites). There was a greater proportion of Anopheles funestus sensu stricto (s.l) in unsprayed sites (20.4%, n=858) than in sprayed sites (7.9%, n=595) and fewer Anopheles parensis (2%, n=85 unsprayed, 7.8%, n=591 sprayed). Biting peaks of Anopheles gambiae sensu lato (s.l.) followed periods of rainfall occurring between October and April, but were generally lower in sprayed sites than unsprayed. In most sprayed sites, An. gambiae s.l. indoor densities increased between January and February, i.e., 10-12 months after IRS. The predominant species An. arabiensis had a sporozoite rate in 2017 of 2.0% (95% CI: 1.4-2.9) in unsprayed sites compared to 0.8% (95% CI: 0.5-1.3) in sprayed sites (p=0.003). Sporozoite rates were also lower for An. funestus collected in sprayed sites. ConclusionThis study contributes to the understanding of malaria vector species composition, behaviour and transmission risk following IRS around Lake Victoria and can be used to guide malaria vector control strategies in Tanzania.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corine Ngufor ◽  
Renaud Govoetchan ◽  
Augustin Fongnikin ◽  
Estelle Vigninou ◽  
Thomas Syme ◽  
...  

AbstractThe rotational use of insecticides with different modes of action for indoor residual spraying (IRS) is recommended for improving malaria vector control and managing insecticide resistance. A more diversified portfolio of IRS insecticides is required; insecticides with new chemistries which can provide improved and prolonged control of insecticide-resistant vector populations are urgently needed. Broflanilide is a newly discovered insecticide being considered for malaria vector control. We investigated the efficacy of a wettable powder (WP) formulation of broflanilide (VECTRON™ T500) for IRS on mud and cement wall substrates in WHO laboratory and experimental hut studies against pyrethroid-resistant malaria vectors in Benin, in comparison with pirimiphos-methyl CS (Actellic® 300CS). There was no evidence of cross-resistance to pyrethroids and broflanilide in CDC bottle bioassays. In laboratory cone bioassays, mortality of susceptible and pyrethroid-resistant A. gambiae s.l. with broflanilide WP treated substrates was >80% for 6-14 months. At application rates of 100mg/m2 and 150 mg/m2, mortality of wild pyrethroid-resistant A. gambiae s.l. entering treated experimental huts in Covè, Benin was 57%-66% with broflanilide WP and did not differ significantly from pirimiphos-methyl CS (57-66% vs. 56%, P>0.05). Mosquito mortality did not differ between the two application rates and local wall substrate-types tested (P>0.05). Throughout the 6-month hut trial, monthly wall cone bioassay mortality on broflanilide WP treated hut walls remained >80% for both susceptible and resistant strains of A. gambiae s.l.. Broflanilide shows potential to significantly improve the control of malaria transmitted by pyrethroid-resistant mosquito vectors and would thus be a crucial addition to the current portfolio of IRS insecticides.One Sentence SummaryVECTRON™ T500, a new wettable powder formulation of broflanilide developed for indoor residual spraying, showed high and prolonged activity against wild pyrethroid-resistant malaria vectors, on local wall substrates, in laboratory bioassays and experimental household settings in Benin.


2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 213-216
Author(s):  
Basil Brooke

The control of malaria transmitting mosquitoes hinges on accurate species identification. This enables assessments of insecticide susceptibilities and important behavioural characteristics (such as feeding and resting behaviours) by species, leading to the design of coherent insecticide-based control strategies that can be enhanced by additional methodologies for malaria elimination. Malaria is a mosquito-borne parasitic disease that affects many vertebrates including humans. Prior to the 20th century the human malarias (Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. malariae, P. ovale and P. knowlesi) occurred in tropical and temperate regions but their distribution has since reduced to the tropical belt with by far the highest incidence in sub-Saharan Africa. Global incidence for 2017 was estimated by the WHO at 219 million cases corresponding to 435 000 deaths. It is also estimated that investment in malaria control and elimination amounted to $3.1 billion in 2017. The control (and elimination) of malaria largely hinges on the suppression of mosquito vectors, accurate diagnosis and case detection, and case management using appropriate antimalarial drug regimens. Controlling malaria vector mosquitoes (and of course other mosquito-borne diseases) means being able to identify that which needs to be controlled. This is not unlike the maxim of knowing one's enemy, and disease vector control is often phrased in militaristic terms. The arsenal of tools in the war against malaria vectors includes insecticides, bed nets, repellents, larvicides, endectocides, toxic baits and even modified genes. This call to arms against the transmitters of a deadly disease presupposes that the enemy can be identified, which, unfortunately, is not as easy as it sounds. Identifying malaria vectors to species has posed a significant challenge ever since Ronald Ross and Giovanni Grassi implicated dappled-winged Anopheles mosquitoes in malaria transmission. They could not have known the Pandora's Box they had opened, because several Anopheles species are cryptic. Many hide in cryptic species complexes and groups that confound straightforward morphological methods of identifying them. A species complex is a group of morphologically identical species that are very closely related, but nevertheless vary significantly in their feeding and resting behaviours, and mate assortatively (i.e. they recognise and tend only to mate with conspecific partners) enough that hybridisations between them are rare. Many member species of these complexes are sufficiently diverged that cross-mating between them yields infertile or non-viable offspring, but not in all cases. A species group is a looser assortment of related species whose morphological features match to a point where they are very nearly identical, often requiring specimens from more than one life stage to identify them. They also mate assortatively, and hybrids are rarer or simply never occur. The problem for malaria control is that several vector species, including many primary vectors, are members of cryptic complexes or groups. These invariably contain vector and non-vector species, requiring a complex and laborious system to unravel them and ascribe unambiguous genetic methods for their identification. Added to this complexity is the possibility that any Anopheles. species that takes human blood is a potential vector of the human malarias, with the added caveat that not all populations within a species are vectors. Some member species, and even populations within a species, feed either exclusively on humans (anthropophagy) and are potentially high transmission intensity vectors, or exclusively on livestock animals (zoophagy) making them non-vectors, or take blood from a range of sources including humans, becoming potential vectors of low to medium transmission intensity. An added layer of complexity is genetic heterogeneity between populations within a species. It can be argued that this complexity is not necessarily a problem for malaria control. After all, the aim of suppressing or even eliminating vector populations is the interruption of transmission, regardless of what species they are. But mosquito adaptability dictates otherwise. This is because the primary method of malaria vector control is deployment of specially formulated insecticides against adult mosquitoes, either by indoor residual spraying (IRS) or the treatment of bed nets. Mosquito adaptability has enabled a powerful response to these interventions, with resistance to insecticides becoming so widespread that fully insecticide susceptible malaria vector populations are now quite rare.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Elias Kakilla ◽  
Alphaxard Manjurano ◽  
Karen Nelwin ◽  
Jackline Martin ◽  
Fabian Mashauri ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Vector control through long lasting insecticidal nets and focal indoor residual spraying (IRS) is a major component of the Tanzania national malaria control strategy. In mainland Tanzania, IRS has been conducted annually around Lake Victoria basin since 2007. Due to pyrethroid resistance in malaria vectors, use of pyrethroids for IRS was phased out and from 2014 to 2017 pirimiphos-methyl (Actellic 300CS) was sprayed in regions of Kagera, Geita, Mwanza and Mara. Methods WHO Cone bioassays were conducted monthly on interior house walls to determine residual efficacy of pirimiphos-methyl CS. Indoor CDC light traps with or without bottle rotator were hung next to protected sleepers indoors and also set outdoors (un-baited) as a proxy measure for indoor and outdoor biting rate and time of biting. A sub-sample of Anopheles were tested by PCR to determine species identity and ELISA for sporozoite rate. Results Annual IRS with Actellic® CS between 2015 and 2017 was effective on sprayed walls for a mean of 7 months in cone bioassay. PCR of 2016 and 2017 samples showed vector populations were predominantly An. arabiensis (58.1%, n=4,403 IRS sites, 58%, n=2,441 unsprayed sites). There was a greater proportion of An. funestus s.s. in unsprayed sites (20.4%, n=858) than sprayed sites (7.9%, n=595) and fewer An. parensis (2%, n=85 unsprayed, 7.8%, n=591 sprayed). Biting peaks of An. gambiae s.l. followed periods of rainfall occurring between October and April, but were generally lower in sprayed sites than unsprayed. In most sprayed sites, An. gambiae s.l. indoor densities increased between January and February, i.e. 10-12 months after IRS. Based on these data and malaria case data, the timing of IRS was changed to November in Kagera and Geita Regions in 2018. The predominant species An. arabiensis had a sporozoite rate in 2017 of 2.0% (95% CI: 1.4-2.9) in unsprayed sites compared to 0.8% (95% CI: 0.5-1.3) in sprayed sites (p=0.003). Sporozoite rates also appeared to be lower for An. funestus collected in sprayed sites. Conclusion IRS appeared to have substantial impact on malaria transmission, with sporozoite rate in An. arabiensis being 59% lower in sprayed sites than in unsprayed sites in 2017.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. e0245804
Author(s):  
Thomas Syme ◽  
Augustin Fongnikin ◽  
Damien Todjinou ◽  
Renaud Govoetchan ◽  
Martial Gbegbo ◽  
...  

Background Where resources are available, non-pyrethroid IRS can be deployed to complement standard pyrethroid LLINs with the aim of achieving improved vector control and managing insecticide resistance. The impact of the combination may however depend on the type of IRS insecticide deployed. Studies comparing combinations of pyrethroid LLINs with different types of non-pyrethroid IRS products will be necessary for decision making. Methods The efficacy of combining a standard pyrethroid LLIN (DuraNet®) with IRS insecticides from three chemical classes (bendiocarb, chlorfenapyr and pirimiphos-methyl CS) was evaluated in an experimental hut trial against wild pyrethroid-resistant Anopheles gambiae s.l. in Cové, Benin. The combinations were also compared to each intervention alone. WHO cylinder and CDC bottle bioassays were performed to assess susceptibility of the local An. gambiae s.l. vector population at the Cové hut site to insecticides used in the combinations. Results Susceptibility bioassays revealed that the vector population at Cové, was resistant to pyrethroids (<20% mortality) but susceptible to carbamates, chlorfenapyr and organophosphates (≥98% mortality). Mortality of wild free-flying pyrethroid resistant An. gambiae s.l. entering the hut with the untreated net control (4%) did not differ significantly from DuraNet® alone (8%, p = 0.169). Pirimiphos-methyl CS IRS induced the highest mortality both on its own (85%) and in combination with DuraNet® (81%). Mortality with the DuraNet® + chlorfenapyr IRS combination was significantly higher than each intervention alone (46% vs. 33% and 8%, p<0.05) demonstrating an additive effect. The DuraNet® + bendiocarb IRS combination induced significantly lower mortality compared to the other combinations (32%, p<0.05). Blood-feeding inhibition was very low with the IRS treatments alone (3–5%) but increased significantly when they were combined with DuraNet® (61% - 71%, p<0.05). Blood-feeding rates in the combinations were similar to the net alone. Adding bendiocarb IRS to DuraNet® induced significantly lower levels of mosquito feeding compared to adding chlorfenapyr IRS (28% vs. 37%, p = 0.015). Conclusions Adding non-pyrethroid IRS to standard pyrethroid-only LLINs against a pyrethroid-resistant vector population which is susceptible to the IRS insecticide, can provide higher levels of vector mosquito control compared to the pyrethroid net alone or IRS alone. Adding pirimiphos-methyl CS IRS may provide substantial improvements in vector control while adding chlorfenapyr IRS can demonstrate an additive effect relative to both interventions alone. Adding bendiocarb IRS may show limited enhancements in vector control owing to its short residual effect.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph M. Wagman ◽  
Kenyssony Varela ◽  
Rose Zulliger ◽  
Abuchahama Saifodine ◽  
Rodaly Muthoni ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The need to develop new products and novel approaches for malaria vector control is recognized as a global health priority. One approach to meeting this need has been the development of new products for indoor residual spraying (IRS) with novel active ingredients for public health. While initial results showing the impact of several of these next-generation IRS products have been encouraging, questions remain about how to best deploy them for maximum impact. To help address these questions, a 2-year cluster-randomized controlled trial to measure the impact of IRS with a microencapsulated formulation of pirimiphos-methyl (PM) in an area with high ownership of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) was conducted in a high-transmission district of central Mozambique with pyrethroid resistant vectors. Presented here are the results of the vector surveillance component of the trial. Methods The 2 year, two-armed trial was conducted in Mopeia District, Zambezia Province, Mozambique. In ten sentinel villages, five that received IRS with PM in October–November 2016 and again in October–November 2017 and five that received no IRS, indoor light trap collections and paired indoor-outdoor human landing collections catches (HLCs) were conducted monthly from September 2016 through October 2018. A universal coverage campaign in June 2017, just prior to the second spray round, distributed 131,540 standard alpha-cypermethrin LLINs across all study villages and increased overall net usage rates in children under 5 years old to over 90%. Results The primary malaria vector during the trial was Anopheles funestus sensu lato (s.l.), and standard World Health Organization (WHO) tube tests with this population indicated variable but increasing resistance to pyrethroids (including alpha-cypermethrin, from > 85% mortality in 2017 to 7% mortality in 2018) and uniform susceptibility to PM (100% mortality in both years). Over the entire duration of the study, IRS reduced An. funestus s.l. densities by 48% (CI95 33–59%; p < 0.001) in indoor light traps and by 74% (CI95 38–90%; p = 0.010) during indoor and outdoor HLC, though in each study year reductions in vector density were consistently greatest in those months immediately following the IRS campaigns and waned over time. Overall there was no strong preference for An. funestus to feed indoors or outdoors, and these biting behaviours did not differ significantly across study arms: observed indoor-outdoor biting ratios were 1.10 (CI95 1.00–1.21) in no-IRS villages and 0.88 (CI95 0.67–1.15) in IRS villages. The impact of IRS was consistent in reducing HLC exposures both indoors (75% reduction: CI95 47–88%; p = 0. < 0.001) and outdoors (68% reduction: CI95 22–87%; p = 0.012). While substantially fewer Anopheles gambiae s.l. were collected during the study, trends show a similar impact of IRS on this key vector group as well, with a 33% (CI95 7–53%; p = 0.019) reduction in mosquitoes collected in light traps and a non-statistically significant 39% reduction (p = 0.249) in HLC landing rates. Conclusion IRS with PM used in addition to pyrethroid-only LLINs substantially reduced human exposures to malaria vectors during both years of the cluster-randomized controlled trial in Mopeia—a high-burden district where the primary vector, An. funestus s.l., was equally likely to feed indoors or outdoors and demonstrated increasing resistance to pyrethroids. Findings suggest that IRS with PM can provide effective vector control, including in some settings where pyrethroid-only ITNs are widely used. Trial registrationclinicaltrials.gov, NCT02910934. Registered 22 September 2016, https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02910934.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Henry Ddumba Mawejje ◽  
Maxwell Kilama ◽  
Simon P. Kigozi ◽  
Alex K. Musiime ◽  
Moses Kamya ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS) are the malaria control interventions primarily responsible for reductions in transmission intensity across sub-Saharan Africa. These interventions, however, may have differential impact on Anopheles species composition and density. This study examined the changing pattern of Anopheles species in three areas of Uganda with markedly different transmission intensities and different levels of vector control. Methods From October 2011 to June 2016 mosquitoes were collected monthly using CDC light traps from 100 randomly selected households in three areas: Walukuba (low transmission), Kihihi (moderate transmission) and Nagongera (high transmission). LLINs were distributed in November 2013 in Walukuba and Nagongera and in June 2014 in Kihihi. IRS was implemented only in Nagongera, with three rounds of bendiocarb delivered between December 2014 and June 2015. Mosquito species were identified morphologically and by PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction). Results In Walukuba, LLIN distribution was associated with a decline in Anopheles funestus vector density (0.07 vs 0.02 mosquitoes per house per night, density ratio [DR] 0.34, 95% CI: 0.18–0.65, p = 0.001), but not Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto (s.s.) nor Anopheles arabiensis. In Kihihi, over 98% of mosquitoes were An. gambiae s.s. and LLIN distribution was associated with a decline in An. gambiae s.s. vector density (4.00 vs 2.46, DR 0.68, 95% CI: 0.49–0.94, p = 0.02). In Nagongera, the combination of LLINs and multiple rounds of IRS was associated with almost complete elimination of An. gambiae s.s. (28.0 vs 0.17, DR 0.004, 95% CI: 0.002–0.009, p < 0.001), and An. funestus sensu lato (s.l.) (3.90 vs 0.006, DR 0.001, 95% CI: 0.0005–0.004, p < 0.001), with a less pronounced decline in An. arabiensis (9.18 vs 2.00, DR 0.15 95% CI: 0.07–0.33, p < 0.001). Conclusions LLIN distribution was associated with reductions in An. funestus s.l. in the lowest transmission site and An. gambiae s.s. in the moderate transmission site. In the highest transmission site, a combination of LLINs and multiple rounds of IRS was associated with the near collapse of An. gambiae s.s. and An. funestus s.l. Following IRS, An. arabiensis, a behaviourally resilient vector, became the predominant species, which may have implications for malaria vector control activities. Development of interventions targeted at outdoor biting remains a priority.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guofa Zhou ◽  
Eugenia Lo ◽  
Andrew K. Githeko ◽  
Yaw A. Afrane ◽  
Guiyun Yan

AbstractThe issues of pyrethroid resistance and outdoor malaria parasite transmission have prompted the WHO to call for the development and adoption of viable alternative vector control methods. Larval source management is one of the core malaria vector interventions recommended by the Ministry of Health in many African countries, but it is rarely implemented due to concerns on its cost-effectiveness. New long-lasting microbial larvicide can be a promising cost-effective supplement to current vector control and elimination methods because microbial larvicide uses killing mechanisms different from pyrethroids and other chemical insecticides. It has been shown to be effective in reducing the overall vector abundance and thus both indoor and outdoor transmission. In our opinion, the long-lasting formulation can potentially reduce the cost of larvicide field application, and should be evaluated for its cost-effectiveness, resistance development, and impact on non-target organisms when integrating with other malaria vector control measures. In this opinion, we highlight that long-lasting microbial larvicide can be a potential cost-effective product that complements current front-line long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS) programs for malaria control and elimination. Microbial larviciding targets immature mosquitoes, reduces both indoor and outdoor transmission and is not affected by vector resistance to synthetic insecticides. This control method is a shift from the conventional LLINs and IRS programs that mainly target indoor-biting and resting adult mosquitoes.


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