How do malaria mosquito’s life history responses to climate change, urbanisation/insecticide exposure influence their ability to transmit Plasmodium falciparum?

 

Supervisor: Dr Francesco Baldini, School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine

Rotation project: How do malaria mosquito’s life history responses to climate change, urbanisation/insecticide exposure influence their ability to transmit Plasmodium falciparum?

Mosquitoes transmit several pathogens, including malaria parasites, which infect ~250 million people every year, causing more than 600,000 deaths annually. Increasing urbanisation, climate change and widespread use of insecticides are exposing mosquito populations to new challenging conditions that can alter their behaviour and life-history traits. Understanding how current and future response of mosquitoes to these changes is key to predict their future ability to transmit diseases, and how we can tackle them. In our lab, we are starting to unravel some of the  processes. For example, we are studying how exposure of mosquito larvae to artificial light at night can alter their circadian rhythms, biting behaviour and susceptibility the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. We are also exploring how changes in temperature fluctuations alter the development of P. falciparum in mosquitoes and their ability to transmit the disease. Additionally, we are exploring how exposure to insecticides can alter mosquito susceptibility to P. falciparum and its mechanism.

In this project, the student will be able to some of these questions:

  • Are mosquitoes exposed to insecticides, ALAN or fluctuating temperatures more or less susceptible to malaria parasites?
  • Do exposure to insecticides, ALAN or fluctuating temperatures influence mosquito life history traits, behaviour and vectorial capacity?
  • What are the molecular bases of the changes in mosquito’s life-history traits upon exposure to insecticides, ALAN or fluctuating temperatures?

To answer these questions, the project will use state-of-the-art facilities for culturing and infecting P. falciparum to a range of Anopheles mosquito species under laboratory controlled conditions, combining physiological, behavioural and omic investigations.