Updates on the biology of Anopheles funestus

In our June seminar, we had the pleasure of hosting Dr. Fredros Okumu from Ifakara Health Institute. During the meeting he reviewed ecological vulnerabilities of An. funestus and implications for control and provided an update on understanding of its aquatic ecology. He described population dynamics of An. funestus mosquitoes in rural Tanzania, including a comparative assessment of pyrethroid resistance phenotypes between An. funestus and other vector species as well as swarming and mating behaviors. He also discussed fitness characteristics of An. funestus, reviewing field studies on the reproductive biology of female and dry season survival strategies in the wild. Finally, Dr Okumu reviewed country wide surveys in Tanzania and discussed mosquito behaviors, malaria transmission activity and insecticide resistance.