MALARIA.EPIDEMIO.ECO · Evolution and epidemiology of human malaria / mosquito interactions.

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Project objective

Malaria remains one of the most successful diseases of human both in terms of its prevalence and of defying our attempts at control. Contributing to its success is the fact that its transmission fails to be prevented by the immune response of its human host or its mosquito vectors. Indeed, malaria parasites are only rarely killed by their mosquito vector's immune response in natural situations. One possible explanation for the lack of resistance is that the cost of the immune response prohibits the spread of resistance or that the parasites suppress the immune response. To study this phenomenon I have chosen an approach that mixes epidemiology and evolutionary ecology. The project will consist in determining links between the spatial variations in the epidemiological situation and several components of the mosquito's immune system and thus to evaluate possible costs of the constitutive and inducible immune responses and to determine how malaria parasites drive the selection of genes involved in the resistance of their mosquito vectors. Results of this work will help to determine if and under which conditions resistance of mosquitoes against malaria parasites can be selected. As transgenic mosquitoes are currently being designed to resist malaria parasites and are considered as a potential weapon to fight malaria, the proposed project has important implications for future malaria control.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

• WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF PLANT SCIENCES · WAGENINGENCoordinatorCity levelNetherlands

Links

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