Novel intervention strategy against malaria mosquitoes – development of an odour-based trapping system for gravid mosquitoes

Objectives

Our current objectives are to develop a super-blend to attract gravid malaria mosquitoes under field conditions, and to optimise the positioning of gravid traps within the landscape. The overall aim is to demonstrate that gravid traps can reduce malaria prevalence under epidemiologically relevant conditions.

The super blend will be created in large-tent assays, then optimised binary choice assays inside a large semi-field enclosure at ICIPE’s field station in Kenya. Field evaluation of the super blend will then be conducted as a multi choice assay at two sites in Kenya and at one site in Ethiopia, in collaboration with ICIPE and Addis Ababa University, respectively.

To establish the importance of landscape features in the selection of oviposition sites, we will conduct a longitudinal survey of mosquito breeding sites and the surrounding environment. Finally, we aim to reduce malaria prevalence in a western Ethiopian village by augmenting existing IVM interventions with our odour-baited gravid traps. Entomological and parasitological data will be monitored before and during interventions to assess the effect.