Project Grant R21AI190786

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases awarded the University of California Irvine $196,250 on August 13, 2026, under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) to examine the vectorial capacity of invasive Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes in Ethiopia.

The project investigates vector competence of invasive An. stephensi for local Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax isolates and determines malaria vectorial capacity under field conditions in Ethiopia. An. stephensi, a major malaria vector in urban environments across South Asia, the Middle East, and the Arabian Peninsula, has spread throughout Africa since its first detection in Djibouti in 2012, reaching Ethiopia, Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia, Kenya, Ghana, Niger, and Nigeria. Unlike native African malaria vectors adapted to rural settings, An. stephensi thrives in dense urban environments, yet its precise role in sustaining malaria transmission on the continent remains poorly understood. The research addresses this gap by determining vector competence for local parasite isolates and examining associations between mosquito immunity gene polymorphisms and vector competence, while also assessing survivorship, human feeding rate, and malaria vectorial capacity under field conditions. This work provides a more accurate assessment of malaria risk posed by An. stephensi invasion than current climate-based habitat suitability models.

Performance occurs in Irvine, California, with work extending through July 1, 2028. This is a Project Grant, the standard NIH assistance type for investigator-initiated research.