Analysing the genetics of tsetse populations to improve planning, monitoring and evaluation of vector control programs.

采采蝇传播锥虫属物种，引起昏睡病（非洲锥虫）。世卫组织的目标是到2020年消除HAT这一公共卫生问题，到2030年阻断所有传播。控制采采蝇病媒是全球防治昏睡病努力中日益重要的一部分。LSTM的科学家与来自非洲和欧洲的合作伙伴合作，开发了“微小目标”，即用于吸引和杀死采采蝇的织物面板。在Tryp-Elim和Trypa-NO的支持下，微小目标被用于控制刚果民主共和国、乍得、几内亚、科特迪瓦和乌干达的采采蝇。programmes.规划和监测舌蝇控制方案的影响依赖于诱捕网来量化舌蝇种群的时空变化。监测费用昂贵，而且即使在部署目标之前捕获的采采蝇数量也相对较少（<1采采蝇/陷阱/天），这限制了信息的提供。该项目将开发和测试基于基因组的方法，以分析病媒控制方案前后采采蝇种群的遗传学。该项目将使用全基因组测序数据，从干预前后收集的采采蝇中计算有效种群规模，从而估计控制方法的有效性。这些数据还将用于应用基于WGS数据计算历史种群规模的方法，以调查过去的种群动态。这将使人们更好地了解干预地区采采蝇种群的历史，同时也提供了干预措施有效性的信号。研究结果将直接有助于开发和应用新方法，以监测Trypa-NO！和Tryp-Elim合作

Tsetse flies transmit Trypanosoma species which cause sleeping sickness (Human African trypanosomiasis). The WHO aims to eliminate HAT as a public health problem by 2020 and interrupt all transmission by 2030. Control of tsetse vectors is an increasingly important part of the global effort against sleeping sickness. LSTM scientists, working with partners from Africa and Europe, developed 'Tiny Targets', insecticide-treated panels of cloth which are used to attract and kill tsetse. Tiny Targets are being used to control tsetse in DRC, Chad, Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire and Uganda under the auspices of the Tryp-Elim and Trypa-NO! programmes. Planning and monitoring the impact of tsetse control programmes relies on networks of traps to quantify spatial and temporal changes in tsetse populations. Monitoring is expensive and the relatively low numbers of tsetse caught (<1 tsetse/trap/day) even before the deployment of targets limit the information. This project will develop and test genomic-based methods to analyse the genetics of tsetse populations before and after vector control programmesThe project will use whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data to calculate effective population size from pre- and post-intervention collections of tsetse, thus providing an estimate of the effectiveness of control methods. These data will also be used to apply methods that calculate historic population size based on WGS data to investigate past population dynamics. This will provide a better understanding of the history of tsetse populations in intervention areas, while also providing signals of the effectiveness of interventions. The results will contribute directly to development and application of novel methods to monitor the impact of vector control programmes carried out by the Trypa-NO! and Tryp-Elim partnerships.