Last Updated: 22/07/2025
Assessment of the impact of the use of biolarvicides in malaria control in an area of high transmission in the Brazilian Amazon
Objectives
*Original title in Portuguese: Avaliação do impacto do uso de biolarvicidas no controle da malária em uma área de alta transmissão na Amazônia Brasileira
The objective of this project is to evaluate the impact of the application – in fish farming ponds in the municipality of Rodrigues Alves (Acre) – of two types of commercially available biolarvicides, VectoLex® (granular formulation of Bacillus sphaericus – strain 2362) and VectomaxTM (granular formulation with the combination in microparticles of the toxin produced by Bacillus thuringiensis sub.israelensis [strain AM65-52] and by Bacillus sphaericus [strain 2362]) in the larval development of Anopheles spp. in order to (a) assess residual effect and retreatment intervals; (b) develop a large-scale application strategy, and (c) analyze through microsatellites the genetic relationship between populations of larval and adult forms of Anopheles darlingi captured in the vicinity of participating households.
Malaria cases in Brazil have reached their lowest level in 35 years, with transmission virtually restricted to the Legal Amazon. In this context, the Ministry of Health of Brazil launched, in November 2015, the Plan for the Elimination of Malaria in Brazil. The focal nature of malaria in the country indicates that its elimination depends on prioritizing a small number of transmission foci. In the Vale do Juruá region, where 20% of registered malaria cases in Brazil are concentrated, the installation of artificial fish hatcheries was encouraged to increase local economic development. However, the poor maintenance and abandonment of these fish farming ponds has been associated with the presence of Anopheles mosquitoes and, consequently, with the transmission of malaria in the region. The main challenge addressed in this project refers to the maintenance of high vector densities, especially due to the emergence of new artificial breeding sites resulting from human action on the environment. Larval mosquito control strategies can be used as effective tools in integrated vector control to reduce malaria. Sequentially, to assess the impact on malaria transmission, the prevalence of infection (before and after the intervention) will be carried out in residents of 10 households located within a radius of 500 m around each breeding site. In this way, it is hoped to translate scientific evidence from the field in the Brazilian Amazon into effective interventions to eliminate outbreaks of residual malaria transmission in Brazil.
Apr 2017 — Mar 2021
Related Resources
