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UC Malaria Research
and Control Group
vows to defeat malaria
Twenty-one
scientists from five UC campuses are partnering with the Mosquito and
Vector Control Association of California to defeat one of the world’s
oldest and deadliest diseases: malaria.
Malaria
infects some 350 to 500 million people a year, killing between 1
million and 2.5 million, according to the World Health Organization.
Ninety percent of the global incidence of malaria occurs in Africa,
where a child dies from the disease every 30 seconds.
The
UC Malaria Research and Control Group (MRCG) vows to change that. The
group, formed in February 2006, is a branch of the UC Mosquito Research
Program, a statewide program of the UC Division of Agriculture and
Natural Resources.
“We’re
firmly committed to defeating the most formidable and challenging
mosquito-borne disease,” says medical entomologist and MRCG director
Gregory Lanzaro, who also directs the UC Mosquito Research Program and
the UC Davis Center for Vectorborne Diseases.
“This is all about
saving lives,” Lanzaro says. “It’s the right thing to do. We are
combining compassion, technology and science to defeat a killer.”
Malaria,
first recognized 4,000 years ago and eradicated in the United States in
the early 1950s, has been eliminated in many parts of Asia, Europe and
the Americas, but is raging uncontrolled in many parts of Africa,
Lanzaro says. “The spike can be attributed to more efficient mosquito
vectors, increased pesticide and drug resistance, and socioeconomic
factors, including struggling health systems.”
Malaria
threatens more than 100 countries and territories, with more than 40%
of the world’s population at risk, according to the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. Children under age 5 and pregnant women
are most susceptible.
Lanzaro, who researches Anopheles gambiae,
the principal vector of malaria in Africa, says the most deadly
parasite is Plasmodium falciparum. It can kill within hours of
noticeable symptoms, which include high fever, severe headache,
drowsiness, delirium and confusion. The malaria mosquitoes bite at
night, usually between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m.
Focus on research and education
At its organizational meeting in May 2006, MRCG agreed to focus on
academic research, education and public service. Its mission is
three-fold: facilitate collaborative activities, including organized
research and training; mitigate the malaria burden in Africa; and
provide technical advice to public health agencies on malaria control
programs, based on mosquito abatement in Africa.
Individual members of MRCG are involved in eight African partnerships and two research-
training grants.
Basic
researchers study mosquito molecular genetics, population genomics and
the ecology of malaria vectors, mosquito mating biology, and the
genetics of immunology and biochemistry of A.gambiae/P. falciparum interactions.
Applied research involves the evaluation of existing insecticide-based
control strategies, the development of novel mosquito attractants, new
assays for the detection of metabolic insecticide resistance in
mosquitoes, the role of agricultural insecticide use in the development
of resistance in mosquitoes, the mass-rearing of A. gambiae, and models for malaria associated with rice agriculture.
Lanzaro
and UC Davis medical entomologist Anthony Cornel of the UC Mosquito
Research Laboratory, located at the Kearney Agricultural Center in
Parlier, have conducted fieldwork in Africa for more than 15 years,
zeroing in on insecticide and drug resistance and population genetics.
Last summer, medical entomologist Shirley Luckhart, a UC Davis School
of Medicine faculty member, and entomology graduate students Tara
Thiemann and Lisa Reimer joined them in Mali. Cornel, a native of South
Africa, and Thiemann also worked in Cameroon last summer.
Funded by a National Institutes of Health grant, Lanzaro is researching the complex genetic structure of A. gambiae.
“Using DNA markers we have been able to demonstrate that subpopulations
of this mosquito exist in nature that do not interbreed and therefore
do not exchange genes,” Lanzaro says. “These subpopulations often exist
even within a single village. This has important consequences to
understand patterns of resistance to insecticides that form the basis
of malaria control campaigns.”
Cornel’s
work focuses on understanding environmental exposures to insecticides
and the various mechanisms responsible for mosquito resistance to
insecticides. This includes developing field assays to monitor
resistance, an important factor in malaria control programs.
Luckhart’s
research is aimed at understanding the relationship between malaria
parasites and their mosquito vectors. “Her work is improving our
understanding of why some mosquitoes are capable of transmitting this
deadly parasite, while others do not,” Lanzaro says.
Delegations to Tanzania, the White House
A four-member MRCG delegation, led by Lanzaro and Cornel, journeyed to
Tanzania in mid-October to develop collaborations and build
partnerships for malaria control and research. “Malaria is the leading
cause of death in both children and adults in Tanzania,” Lanzaro says.
“In 2003, the most recent year for which information is available,
there were more than 10 million cases of malaria in Tanzania.”
The
delegation included two representatives from the Mosquito Vector and
Control Association of California: Major Dhillon, manager of the
Northwest Mosquito and Vector Control District, Corona; and Steve
Mulligan, who manages the Consolidated Mosquito Abatement District,
Selma.
Lanzaro
also represented MRCG at the Dec. 14, 2006, White House Summit on
Malaria, which brought together international experts; corporations and
foundations; African civic leaders; and voluntary, faith-based and
nonprofit organizations. The goal is to raise awareness of malaria and
to mobilize a grassroots effort to save millions of lives in Africa.
President Bush declared April 25 as Malaria Day.
In
response, Lanzaro has organized the first-ever Malaria Awareness Day
symposium on the UC Davis campus for April 25, gathering members of the
scientific community to discuss malaria and the UC Davis commitment to
global health. Topics will range from the history of malaria in
California to current novel malaria-control strategies in Africa.
Speaking
on the history of malaria in California will be Robert K. Washino,
professor and chair emeritus of the UC Davis entomology department, and
co-author of Mosquitoes of California.
“Malaria,”
Washino says, “will continue to be of concern to residents of
California due to continued travel outside the United States by
civilian and military personnel, immigration policies and most
recently, the potential effect of global warming on mosquito-parasite
interactions involved in malaria transmission.” — Kathy Keatley Garvey
Shirley
Luckhart, a UC Davis medical entomologist, traveled to Mali in summer
2006 as part of the UC Mosquito Research and Control Group’s efforts to
wipe out malaria, a devastating mosquito-borne disease. Photo by Anthony Cornel.
and Control Group
vows to defeat malaria
Twenty-one
scientists from five UC campuses are partnering with the Mosquito and
Vector Control Association of California to defeat one of the world’s
oldest and deadliest diseases: malaria.
Malariainfects some 350 to 500 million people a year, killing between 1
million and 2.5 million, according to the World Health Organization.
Ninety percent of the global incidence of malaria occurs in Africa,
where a child dies from the disease every 30 seconds.
TheUC Malaria Research and Control Group (MRCG) vows to change that. The
group, formed in February 2006, is a branch of the UC Mosquito Research
Program, a statewide program of the UC Division of Agriculture and
Natural Resources.
“We’refirmly committed to defeating the most formidable and challenging
mosquito-borne disease,” says medical entomologist and MRCG director
Gregory Lanzaro, who also directs the UC Mosquito Research Program and
the UC Davis Center for Vectorborne Diseases.
“This is all about
saving lives,” Lanzaro says. “It’s the right thing to do. We are
combining compassion, technology and science to defeat a killer.”
Malaria,first recognized 4,000 years ago and eradicated in the United States in
the early 1950s, has been eliminated in many parts of Asia, Europe and
the Americas, but is raging uncontrolled in many parts of Africa,
Lanzaro says. “The spike can be attributed to more efficient mosquito
vectors, increased pesticide and drug resistance, and socioeconomic
factors, including struggling health systems.”
Malariathreatens more than 100 countries and territories, with more than 40%
of the world’s population at risk, according to the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. Children under age 5 and pregnant women
are most susceptible.
Lanzaro, who researches Anopheles gambiae,the principal vector of malaria in Africa, says the most deadly
parasite is Plasmodium falciparum. It can kill within hours of
noticeable symptoms, which include high fever, severe headache,
drowsiness, delirium and confusion. The malaria mosquitoes bite at
night, usually between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m.
Focus on research and education
At its organizational meeting in May 2006, MRCG agreed to focus on
academic research, education and public service. Its mission is
three-fold: facilitate collaborative activities, including organized
research and training; mitigate the malaria burden in Africa; and
provide technical advice to public health agencies on malaria control
programs, based on mosquito abatement in Africa.
Individual members of MRCG are involved in eight African partnerships and two research-
training grants.
Basicresearchers study mosquito molecular genetics, population genomics and
the ecology of malaria vectors, mosquito mating biology, and the
genetics of immunology and biochemistry of A.gambiae/P. falciparum interactions.
Applied research involves the evaluation of existing insecticide-based
control strategies, the development of novel mosquito attractants, new
assays for the detection of metabolic insecticide resistance in
mosquitoes, the role of agricultural insecticide use in the development
of resistance in mosquitoes, the mass-rearing of A. gambiae, and models for malaria associated with rice agriculture.
Lanzaroand UC Davis medical entomologist Anthony Cornel of the UC Mosquito
Research Laboratory, located at the Kearney Agricultural Center in
Parlier, have conducted fieldwork in Africa for more than 15 years,
zeroing in on insecticide and drug resistance and population genetics.
Last summer, medical entomologist Shirley Luckhart, a UC Davis School
of Medicine faculty member, and entomology graduate students Tara
Thiemann and Lisa Reimer joined them in Mali. Cornel, a native of South
Africa, and Thiemann also worked in Cameroon last summer.
Funded by a National Institutes of Health grant, Lanzaro is researching the complex genetic structure of A. gambiae.“Using DNA markers we have been able to demonstrate that subpopulations
of this mosquito exist in nature that do not interbreed and therefore
do not exchange genes,” Lanzaro says. “These subpopulations often exist
even within a single village. This has important consequences to
understand patterns of resistance to insecticides that form the basis
of malaria control campaigns.”
Cornel’swork focuses on understanding environmental exposures to insecticides
and the various mechanisms responsible for mosquito resistance to
insecticides. This includes developing field assays to monitor
resistance, an important factor in malaria control programs.
Luckhart’sresearch is aimed at understanding the relationship between malaria
parasites and their mosquito vectors. “Her work is improving our
understanding of why some mosquitoes are capable of transmitting this
deadly parasite, while others do not,” Lanzaro says.
Delegations to Tanzania, the White House
A four-member MRCG delegation, led by Lanzaro and Cornel, journeyed to
Tanzania in mid-October to develop collaborations and build
partnerships for malaria control and research. “Malaria is the leading
cause of death in both children and adults in Tanzania,” Lanzaro says.
“In 2003, the most recent year for which information is available,
there were more than 10 million cases of malaria in Tanzania.”
Thedelegation included two representatives from the Mosquito Vector and
Control Association of California: Major Dhillon, manager of the
Northwest Mosquito and Vector Control District, Corona; and Steve
Mulligan, who manages the Consolidated Mosquito Abatement District,
Selma.
Lanzaroalso represented MRCG at the Dec. 14, 2006, White House Summit on
Malaria, which brought together international experts; corporations and
foundations; African civic leaders; and voluntary, faith-based and
nonprofit organizations. The goal is to raise awareness of malaria and
to mobilize a grassroots effort to save millions of lives in Africa.
President Bush declared April 25 as Malaria Day.
Inresponse, Lanzaro has organized the first-ever Malaria Awareness Day
symposium on the UC Davis campus for April 25, gathering members of the
scientific community to discuss malaria and the UC Davis commitment to
global health. Topics will range from the history of malaria in
California to current novel malaria-control strategies in Africa.
Speakingon the history of malaria in California will be Robert K. Washino,
professor and chair emeritus of the UC Davis entomology department, and
co-author of Mosquitoes of California.
“Malaria,”Washino says, “will continue to be of concern to residents of
California due to continued travel outside the United States by
civilian and military personnel, immigration policies and most
recently, the potential effect of global warming on mosquito-parasite
interactions involved in malaria transmission.” — Kathy Keatley Garvey
Shirley
Luckhart, a UC Davis medical entomologist, traveled to Mali in summer
2006 as part of the UC Mosquito Research and Control Group’s efforts to
wipe out malaria, a devastating mosquito-borne disease. Photo by Anthony Cornel.
