Robotic microscopy for everyone: the OpenFlexure microscope.

Optical microscopes are an essential tool for both the detection of disease in clinics, and for scientific analysis. However, in much of the world access to high-performance microscopy is limited by both the upfront cost and maintenance cost of the equipment. Here we present an open-source, 3D-printed, and fully-automated laboratory microscope, with motorised sample positioning and focus control.

A crossover study to evaluate the diversion of malaria vectors in a community with incomplete coverage of spatial repellents in the Kilombero Valley, Tanzania.

Background: Malaria elimination is unlikely to occur if vector control efforts focus entirely on transmission occurring indoors without addressing vectors that bite outdoors and outside sleeping hours. Additional control tools such as spatial repellents may provide the personal protection required to fill this gap. However, since repellents do not kill mosquitoes it is unclear if vectors will be diverted from households that use spatial repellents to those that do not.

Eave tubes for malaria control in Africa: an introduction.

In spite of massive progress in the control of African malaria since the turn of the century, there is a clear and recognized need for additional tools beyond long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets (LLINs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS) of insecticides, to progress towards elimination. Moreover, widespread and intensifying insecticide resistance requires alternative control agents and delivery systems to enable development of effective insecticide resistance management strategies. This series of articles presents a novel concept for malaria vector control, the 'eave tube', which may fulfil these important criteria.

Evaluating preservation methods for identifying Anopheles gambiae s.s. and Anopheles arabiensis complex mosquitoes species using near infra-red spectroscopy.

Background: Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has been successfully used on fresh and RNAlater-preserved members of the Anopheles gambiae complex to identify sibling species and age. No preservation methods other than using RNAlater have been tested to preserve mosquitoes for species identification using NIRS. However, RNAlater is not the most practical preservative for field settings because it is expensive, requires basic laboratory conditions for storage and is not widely available in sub-Saharan Africa.

The impact of livestock on the abundance, resting behaviour and sporozoite rate of malaria vectors in southern Tanzania.

Background: Increases in the coverage of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) have significantly reduced the abundance of Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto in several African settings, leaving its more zoophagic sibling species Anopheles arabiensis as the primary vector. This study investigated the impact of livestock ownership at the household level on the ecology and malaria infection rate of vectors in an area of Tanzania where An. arabiensis accounts for most malaria transmission.

In vitro susceptibility of P. falciparum populations from Colombia and Tanzania to a new synthetic peroxide (OZ277).

Sensitivity of Plasmodium falciparum populations from Colombia (N = 38) and Tanzania (N = 45) to the newly developed, fully synthetic peroxide OZ277 was investigated using a standard isotopic microtest. OZ277 showed excellent activity against chloroquine-resistant isolates in Colombia with median IC(50) [range] values of 2.5 ng/mL [0.