Western Kenya

We describe the spatio-temporal dynamics of malaria transmission intensity measured by mosquito density and EIR in the KEMRI/CDC health and demographic surveillance system using entomological data collected during 2002-2004.

This study investigated whether the distribution of local spatial malaria vectors and risk of infection with malaria parasites in the highlands is related to topography.

These findings support the notion that FQ could be useful in treating persons with P. falciparum malaria.

Indoor resting female adult malaria vectors were collected in western Kenya highlands in four selected villages categorized into two valley systems, the U-shaped (Iguhu and Emutete) and the V-shaped valleys (Marani and Fort Ternan) for eight months.

In 2007–2008, we assayed 121 P. falciparum field isolates from western Kenya for 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC50) against 6 antimalarial drugs using a SYBR Green I in vitro assay: 91 immediate ex vivo (IEV) and 30 culture-adapted, along with P. falciparum reference clones D6 (chloroquine [CQ] sensitive) and W2 (CQ resistant).

These experiments provide insight into the efficiency of specific natural predators against mosquito larvae. These naturally occurring predators may be useful in biocontrol strategies for aquatic stage An. gambiae mosquitoes.

These findings suggest that the aerial sampler is the better of the two methods for estimating the productivity of An. gambiae s.l. and An. funestus in the western Kenya highlands and possibly other malaria endemic parts of Africa.

This study examined ITN ownership and underlying factors for among-household variation in use, and malaria transmission in two highland regions of western Kenya.

This study showed that the V-shaped ecosystems have very low malaria prevalence and few individuals with an immune response to two major malaria antigens and they can be considered as epidemic hotspots.

These data demonstrate that despite the relatively recent spread of malaria to the highlands, parasite populations seem to have stabilized with no evidence of bottlenecks between seasons, while the ability of residents to clear or control infections indicates presence of effective anti-plasmodial immune mechanisms.