Comparative evaluation of systemic drugs for their effects against Anopheles gambiae.

Laboratory and field studies have shown that ivermectin, a drug that targets invertebrate ligand-gated ion channels (LGICs), is potently active against Anopheles spp. mosquitoes at concentrations present in human blood after standard drug administrations; thus ivermectin holds promise as a mass human-administered endectocide that could help suppress malaria parasite transmission. We evaluated other systemic LGIC-targeting drugs for their activities against the African malaria vector Anopheles gambiae using in vitro blood feeding assays.

Endectocides for malaria control.

Systemic endectocidal drugs, used to control nematodes in humans and other vertebrates, can be toxic to Anopheles spp. mosquitoes when they take a blood meal from a host that has recently received one of these drugs. Recent laboratory and field studies have highlighted the potential of ivermectin to control malaria parasite transmission if this drug is distributed strategically and more often.

The effect of oral anthelmintics on the survivorship and re-feeding frequency of anthropophilic mosquito disease vectors.

In the Tropics, there is substantial temporal and spatial overlap of diseases propagated by anthropophilic mosquito vectors (such as malaria and dengue) and human helminth diseases (such as onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis) that are treated though mass drug administrations (MDA). This overlap will result in mosquito vectors imbibing significant quantities of these drugs when they blood feed on humans. Since many anthelmintic drugs have broad anti-invertebrate effects, the possibility of combined helminth control and mosquito-borne disease control through MDA is apparent.