Exploring the ecology of malaria mosquitoes in São Tomé and Príncipe
Exploring the ecology of malaria mosquitoes in São Tomé and Príncipe
Tags: Africa, Anopheles, Malaria, Modeling, MosquitoesLisa Chamberland, Outreach Network for Gene Drive Research, 2025.
As part of our work to develop new genetic approaches for malaria control, the University of California Malaria Initiative (UCMI) is studying mosquito movement and breeding patterns in São Tomé and Príncipe. In a study published last year, we investigated the dispersal dynamics of Anopheles coluzzii – the only malaria vector on this island nation. Our recent study examines how environmental factors influence A. coluzzii breeding sites and shape mosquito dispersal across São Tomé and Príncipe.
Understanding movement and interactions between mosquito populations is key to designing malaria control strategies. The data collected will also offer key insights that will guide the design of potential field evaluations of the technology we are working to develop. To determine the most suitable habitats for A. coluzzii, we used computer modeling to analyze environmental conditions such as temperature, elevation, and human population density. Our results show that the northeastern regions of both São Tomé and Príncipe islands provide the most suitable conditions for A. coluzzii larval development, with lower elevations and higher human population densities likely contributing to greater habitat availability. Interestingly, our climate modeling suggests that the mosquito’s geographic distribution on the islands will remain largely unchanged under current climate projections, even without additional interventions.
