Ellen Kearney

Anopheles’ salivary antigens as biomarkers for mosquito and malaria exposure in the Greater Mekong Subregion

Ellen Kearney, BA BSc (Hons)

Supervisors: Professor Freya Fowkes, Professor Julie Simpson, Dr Julia Cutts, Mr Paul Agius and Dr Victor Chaumeau

Abstract: Measuring malaria transmission in settings approaching elimination, such as the Greater Mekong Subregion, is inherently challenging due to the low incidence of infection. Having accurate tools to detect recent exposure to Plasmodium parasites and Anopheles bites is essential to confirm the success of vector control and elimination interventions. Serosurveillance has been suggested as a potential approach in this context. This thesis seeks to validate the use of Anopheles-specific salivary antigens as a serosurveillance tool for malaria and mosquito exposure, and explore its programmatic application as an outcome measurement in trials of topical repellent and outdoor residual insecticide spraying.

Funding: Ellen is supported by the Melbourne Research Scholarship, The University of Melbourne, with a Top Up Scholarship from The Australian Centre of Research Excellence in Malaria Elimination (ACREME).