ACTIONS FOR BUILDING CAPACITY

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Malaria continues to be a major problem in Africa. One of the keys to successful malaria control in Africa involves understanding the vector and malaria transmission dynamics. There is an international need to train young scientists in medical entomology and malaria research. This training plan will provide one-year of malaria vector research and training in Kenya to a Tulane University graduate student. The research will be conducted at the International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) in Nairobi, in collaboration with an NIH ICIDR on African Malaria Vectors. Basic studies on midgut bacteria of larval and adult mosquitoes will provide the trainee with a unique opportunity to learn basic techniques in medical entomology and to conduct field studies on mosquito ecology. In terms of international training, the student from Tulane will: (1) gain experience in biochemical and molecular techniques in bacteriology, (2) learn how to conduct mosquito field studies, (3) gain international research experience, and (4) form contacts and collaborations for the future. The research will involve both field and laboratory components, and will be conducted at ICIPE facilities in Nairobi and Mbita Point in western Kenya, and through the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) Laboratories in Nairobi and in Kilifi, on the coast of Kenya. The student will direct research studies according to three specific aims: (1) investigate geographic and habitat-related differences in midgut bacteria in the primary species of malaria vector species, (2) determine mechanisms by which mosquitoes acquire the midgut bacteria, and (3) determine the impact of bacteria in mosquito midguts on the sporogonic development of malaria parasites in wild-caught mosquitoes. To accomplish this research, the student will be guided by six expert scientists from ICIPE and KEMRI, and by the Tulane mentor who will also work with the student in Kenya. This training in Kenya will provide the U.S. graduate student with a valuable exposure to international research in infectious diseases and a better appreciation of the public health problem of malaria in Africa.