Transgenic Mosquitoes and Fighting Malaria Transmission

Dr. Jia Li

Department of Mathematical Sciences
UAHuntsville

26 March 2010
218 Shelby Center
3:00 (Refreshements at 2:30)

Abstract

To prevent malaria transmission, genetically-altered (transgenic) mosquitoes, that are resistant to malaria infection, become one of effective weapons. To investigate the impact of releasing transgenic mosquitoes into the field of wild mosquitoes, we first formulate mathematical models for interactive wild and transgenic mosquitoes, based on systems of differential equations. We consider both dominant and recessive transgenes. Density-dependent vital rates are also included in the functional mating rates. With fundamental analysis of the dynamics of the interactive mosquitoes, we then introduce them into a simple compartmental malaria transmission model. We study the dynamics of the simple malaria model and the models with the transgenic mosquitoes, and discuss the impact of transgenic mosquitoes on the malaria transmission.