Vector ecology of urban malaria in Africa

在非洲城市，疟疾的公共卫生问题日益严重。在城市中心，疟疾寄生虫传播的程度取决于城市化、多变的水条件和当地按蚊种群生态等因素的复杂相互作用。有必要更好地了解非洲疟疾病媒物种，包括冈比亚按蚊复合体和funestus按蚊中的物种，如何适应不断变化的城市生态系统。该项目的总体目标是更好地了解生物、物理和社会对非洲城市按蚊种群动态和疟疾寄生虫传播的相互作用。具体目标包括：1)开发和现场测试一个评估按蚊种群的计算模型（ANSiM - Anopheles simulation model）； 2)在肯尼亚两个城市和邻近的农村研究点（Malindi和Kisumu）研究按蚊种群生态学和疟疾传播。这一高级国际奖学金项目将通过设在肯尼亚的国际昆虫生理学和生态学中心（ICIPE）开展，并将与正在进行的NIH ICIDR和NIH Fogarty ABC项目密切联系。该项目将包括一个强有力的非洲学生培训部分，并将与美国和国际科学家在昆虫生态学、蚊子种群遗传学、数学建模、社会和行为科学、人口学、城市规划和地理信息技术等领域进行合作。

There is a growing public health problem of malaria in African cities. In urban centers, the extent of malaria parasite transmission is dependent upon a complex interplay of factors relating to urbanization, variable water conditions, and the ecology of local Anopheles mosquito populations. There is a need to better understand how African malaria vector species, including species in the Anopheles gambiae complex and Anopheles funestus, adapt to changing urban ecosystems. The overall goal of this project is to better understand the interaction of biological, physical, and social influences on the dynamics of Anopheles mosquito populations and malaria parasite transmission in African cities. Specific aims include: 1) to develop and field test a computational model for assessing Anopheles mosquito populations (ANSiM - Anopheles simulation model) and 2) to study the ecology of Anopheles mosquito populations and malaria transmission at two urban and neighboring rural study sites in Kenya (Malindi and Kisumu) . This Senior International Fellowship project will be conducted through the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) in Kenya and will be linked closely with on-going NIH ICIDR and NIH Fogarty ABC projects. The project will include a strong African student training component, and will feature collaboration with U.S. and international scientists in the areas of insect ecology, mosquito population genetics, mathematical modeling, social and behavioral sciences, demography, urban planning, and geographic information technology.