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Background: Indoor residual spraying (IRS) is one of the most effective malaria control tools. However, its application has become limited to specific contexts due to the increased costs of IRS products and implementation programmes. Selective spraying—selective spray targeted to particular areas/surfaces of dwellings—has been proposed to maintain the malaria control and resistance-management benefits of IRS while decreasing the costs of the intervention. Methods: A literature search was conducted to find (1) studies that assessed the resting behaviour of Anopheles mosquitoes and (2) studies that evaluated the impact of selective spraying on entomological and malaria outcomes. Additional articles were identified through hand searches of all references cited in articles identified through the initial search. A cost model was developed from PMI VectorLink IRS country programmes, and comparative cost analysis reports to describe the overall cost benefits of selective IRS. Results: In some studies, there appeared to be a clear resting preference for certain Anopheles species in terms of the height at which they rested. However, for other species, and particularly the major African malaria vectors, a clear resting pattern was not detected. Furthermore, resting behaviour was not measured in a standardized way. For the selective spray studies that were assessed, there was a wide range of spray configurations, which complicates the comparison of methods. Many of these spray techniques were effective and resulted in reported 25–68% cost savings and reduced use of insecticide. The reported cost savings in the literature do not always consider all of the IRS implementation costs. Using the IRS cost model, these savings ranged from 17 to 29% for programs that targeted Anopheles spp. and 18–41% for programmes that targeted Aedes aegypti. Conclusions: Resting behaviour is generally measured in a simplistic way; noting the resting spot of mosquitoes in the morning. This is likely an oversimplification, and there is a need for better monitoring of resting mosquitoes. This may improve the target surface for selective spray techniques, which could reduce the cost of IRS while maintaining its effectiveness. Reporting of cost savings should be calculated considering the entire implementation costs, and a cost model was provided for future calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cambodia’s goal to eliminate malaria by 2025 is challenged by persistent transmission in forest and forest fringe areas, where people are exposed to Anopheles mosquito bites during the day and night. Volatile pyrethroid spatial repellents (VPSRs) and insecticide-treated clothing (ITC) could address these gaps. This study evaluated the outdoor application of one passive transfluthrin-based VPSR, four etofenprox-ITCs paired with a picaridin topical repellent, and a combination of VPSR and ITC against wild Anopheles landing in Cambodia. A 7 × 7 Latin-square study was conducted over 49 collection nights in temporary open structures in Mondulkiri Province. All interventions substantially reduced Anopheles landing, with protective efficacy ranging from 61 to 95%. Mathematical modeling showed significant reductions in vectoral capacity, especially with the combined ITC and VPSR and VPSR alone, albeit with decreased effectiveness over time. These interventions have the potential to reduce outdoor and daytime Anopheles biting, offering valuable contributions to malaria elimination efforts in Cambodia and the Greater Mekong Subregion, contingent upon achieving effective coverage and adherence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The availability of nutrients from mosquito blood meals accelerates the development of Plasmodium falciparum laboratory strains in artificially infected Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes. The impact of multiple blood meals on the number of P. falciparum genotypes developing from polyclonal natural human malaria infections (field-isolates) remains unexplored. Here, we experimentally infect An. gambiae with P. falciparum field-isolates and measure the impact of an additional non-infectious blood meal on parasite development. We also assess parasite genetic diversity at the blood stage level of the parasite in the human host and of the sporozoites in the mosquito. Additional blood meals increase the sporozoite infection prevalence and intensity, but do not substantially affect the genetic diversity of sporozoites in the mosquito. The most abundant parasite genotypes in the human blood were transmitted to mosquitoes, suggesting that there was no preferential selection of specific genotypes. This study underlines the importance of additional mosquito blood meals for the development of parasite field-isolates in the mosquito host. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Effective testing for malaria, including the detection of infections at very low densities, is vital for the successful elimination of the disease. Unfortunately, existing methods are either inexpensive but poorly sensitive or sensitive but costly. Recent studies have shown that mid-infrared spectroscopy coupled with machine learning (MIRs-ML) has potential for rapidly detecting malaria infections but requires further evaluation on diverse samples representative of natural infections in endemic areas. The aim of this study was, therefore, to demonstrate a simple AI-powered, reagent-free, and user-friendly approach that uses mid-infrared spectra from dried blood spots to accurately detect malaria infections across varying parasite densities and anaemic conditions. Methods: Plasmodium falciparum strains NF54 and FCR3 were cultured and mixed with blood from 70 malaria-free individuals to create various malaria parasitaemia and anaemic conditions. Blood dilutions produced three haematocrit ratios (50%, 25%, 12.5%) and five parasitaemia levels (6%, 0.1%, 0.002%, 0.00003%, 0%). Dried blood spots were prepared on Whatman™ filter papers and scanned using attenuated total reflection-Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) for machine-learning analysis. Three classifiers were trained on an 80%/20% split of 4655 spectra: (I) high contrast (6% parasitaemia vs. negative), (II) low contrast (0.00003% vs. negative) and (III) all concentrations (all positive levels vs. negative). The classifiers were validated with unseen datasets to detect malaria at various parasitaemia levels and anaemic conditions. Additionally, these classifiers were tested on samples from a population survey in malaria-endemic villages of southeastern Tanzania. Results: The AI classifiers attained over 90% accuracy in detecting malaria infections as low as one parasite per microlitre of blood, a sensitivity unattainable by conventional RDTs and microscopy. These laboratory-developed classifiers seamlessly transitioned to field applicability, achieving over 80% accuracy in predicting natural P. falciparum infections in blood samples collected during the field survey. Crucially, the performance remained unaffected by various levels of anaemia, a common complication in malaria patients. Conclusion: These findings suggest that the AI-driven mid-infrared spectroscopy approach holds promise as a simplified, sensitive and cost-effective method for malaria screening, consistently performing well despite variations in parasite densities and anaemic conditions. The technique simply involves scanning dried blood spots with a desktop mid-infrared scanner and analysing the spectra using pre-trained AI classifiers, making it readily adaptable to field conditions in low-resource settings. In this study, the approach was successfully adapted to field use, effectively predicting natural malaria infections in blood samples from a population-level survey in Tanzania. With additional field trials and validation, this technique could significantly enhance malaria surveillance and contribute to accelerating malaria elimination efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Mosquito traps are widely used for the monitoring and surveillance of mosquito vectors in many mosquito-borne disease-endemic countries. However, the costs and efficacy of traps remain a great challenge. In this study, we compared the trapping efficacy of locally modified Gravid Aedes Trap (GAT) and Autocidal Gravid Ovitrap (AGO) for dengue vector (Aedes aegypti) in a semi-field and field settings. The GAT was lined with pyrethroid-treated nets as a killing agent, while the AGO adhered with a sticky board to capture mosquitoes. We also compared the locally modified traps baited with either yeast or grass infusion with BG-Sentinel (BGS) with BG lure (a standard trap for capturing Aedes mosquitoes). Our findings showed that the GAT was more efficacious than the AGO in both semi-field and field settings. Additionally, there was no significant difference between yeast-baited and grass-baited GAT traps in capturing mosquitoes, although yeast was easier to use. When compared to a standard trap (BGS), GAT showed no difference in capturing Aedes mosquitoes in a semi-field; however, in the field setting, BGS outperformed the modified GAT. The study assessed the trapping efficacy of locally modified (1) Gravid Aedes Trap (GAT) lined with insecticide-treated net (ITN) as a killing agent and (2) Autocidal Gravid Ovitrap (AGO) with sticky board in the semi-field system (SFS) and field setting. Fully balanced Latin square experiments were conducted to compare GAT lined with ITN vs. AGO, both with either yeast or grass infusion. Biogent-Sentinel (BGS) with BG-Lure and no CO2 was used as a standard trap for Aedes mosquitoes. In the SFS, GAT outperformed AGO in collecting both nulliparous (65% vs. 49%, OR = 2.22, [95% CI: 1.89–2.60], p < 0.001) and gravid mosquitoes (73% vs. 64%, OR = 1.67, [95% CI: 1.41–1.97], p < 0.001). Similar differences were observed in the field. Yeast and grass infusion did not significantly differ in trapping gravid mosquitoes (OR = 0.91, [95% CI: 0.77–1.07], p = 0.250). The use of ITN improved mosquito recapture from 11% to 70% in the SFS. The same trend was observed in the field. Yeast was chosen for further evaluation in the optimized GAT due to its convenience and bifenthrin net for its resistance management properties. Mosquito density was collected when using 4× GATs relative to BGS-captured gravid mosquitoes 64 vs. 58 (IRR = 0.82, [95% CI: 0.35–1.95], p = 0.658) and showed no density dependence. Deployment of multiple yeast-baited GAT lined with bifenthrin net is cost-effective (single GAT < $8) compared to other traps such as BGS ($160). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entomological evaluations of vector control tools often use human landing catches (HLCs) as a standard measure of a direct human-vector contact. However, some tools have additional characteristics, such as mortality, and HLCS are not sensitive for measuring other effects beyond landing inhibition. Therefore, additional measures may need to be considered when evaluating these tools for public health use. This study has two main aims (1) the evaluate the accuracy of HLCs as a proxy for feeding and (2) to compare the predicted reduction in vectorial capacity when we do and do not consider these additional characteristics. To achieve this, we analyse previously published semi-field data from an experiment which used HLCs and another where mosquitoes were allowed to feed in the presence of different dosages of the volatile pyrethroid spatial repellent, transfluthrin. We compare results for two mathematical models: one which only considers the reduction in feeding effect and one which also considers mortality before and after feeding (using data gathered by the aspiration of mosquitoes after the semi-field feeding/landing period and 24 h survival monitoring). These Bayesian hierarchical models are parameterised using Bayesian inference. We observe that, for susceptible mosquitoes, reduction in landing is underestimated by HLCs. For knockdown resistant mosquitoes the relationship is less clear; with HLCs sometimes appearing to overestimate this characteristic. We find HLCs tend to under-predict the relative reduction in vectorial capacity in susceptible mosquitoes while over-predicting this impact in knockdown-resistant mosquitoes. Models without secondary effects have lower predicted relative reductions in vectorial capacities. Overall, this study highlights the importance of considering additional characteristics to reduction in biting of volatile pyrethroid spatial repellents. We recommend that these are considered when evaluating novel vector control tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the intersections between gender, display, and empire at turn-ofthe-century world's fairs in the United States. The 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition serves as a case study. Designed to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal, the 1915 fair was hinged on contemporary notions of manliness and used gender ideology to articulate prevailing ideas and assumptions about the American nation, its new empire, and its influence on the entire world. Indeed, gendered rhetoric found its way into numerous contemporary published tracts, articles, paintings, and popular culture that take on the enormity of the Panama Canal and its implications. Manliness and its mechanical prosthetic, technology, became the arenas through which the United States refashioned its national body and confidently assumed its new role as imperialist on the world stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]