The origin, history, and resistance architecture of an invasive urban malaria mosquito in Africa
The invasive urban malaria vector Anopheles stephensi threatens 126 million city-dwellers in Africa. Controling An. stephensi requires greater understanding of its origin, invasion dynamics, and insecticide resistance mechanisms. Analysis of 645 whole genomes sampled across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia supports an invasion scenario in which an initial introduction South Asian introduction established a bridgehead population in Djibouti, which seeded distinct invasion fronts in Sudan, Ethiopia–Kenya, and Yemen. These incursions show contrasting rates and routes of spread shaped by landscape topology. Insecticide resistance is predominantly mediated by metabolic detoxification genes, with resistance haplotypes and copy-number amplifications introduced from South Asia. These findings, alongside a companion genomic resource, enable genomic surveillance of An. stephensi spread and resistance to aid control strategies.
Authors
- Fatemeh Nikpoor
- Endalew Zemene (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6810-5800)
- Eba Alemayehu Simma (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0746-7642)
- Jihad Eltaher Sulieman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1776-2055)
- Seline Omondi
- Temesgen Ashine (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4723-1848)
- Jeanne N. Samake (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2391-6583)
- Adrienne Epstein (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8253-6102)
- Hmooda Toto Kafy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5810-7340)
- Anne L. Wilson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7387-353X)
- Rebecca Brown
- Eric Ochomo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4042-4970)
- Eric R. Lucas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3892-1668)
- Mikiyas Gebremichael Bulto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-8150-9472)
- Patricia Pignatell
- Martin J. Donnelly (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5218-1497)
- Alemayehu Dagne (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0572-0256)
- Ahmadali Enayati (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6861-0719)
- Sylvia Milanoi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9654-910X)
- John E. Gimnig (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4218-447X)
- Ayman Ahmed (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9516-9508)
- Anastasia Hernández-Koutoucheva (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0197-9092)
- Chris S. Clarkson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8757-1660)
- Loïc Talignani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8774-8323)
- Cristina Rafferty (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1903-5524)
- Patricia Doumbe-Belisse (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3345-4346)
- Abdoul-Ilah Ahmed Abdi
- Muluken Assefa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-2610-9810)
- Michaël C. Fontaine (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1156-4154)
- Ellie Sherrard-Smith (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8317-7992)
- Elfatih M Malik (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8071-8092)
- Bouh Abdi Khaireh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4861-1831)
- Tristan P. W. Dennis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0895-3549)
- Endalamaw Gadisa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5179-6278)
- Sanjay C. Nagi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1214-8523)
- Ashwaq M. Al-Nazawi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9528-1893)
- David Weetman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5820-1388)
- Mujahid Nouredayem
- Adane Eyasu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5305-5249)
- Nigatu Negash (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7116-7436)
- Alison M. Reynolds
- Mohammed H. Al-Zahrani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7776-3669)
- Richard Allan
- Biniam Lukas
- Marion Morris
- Abena Yigeremu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-5963-5645)
- Samatar Guelleh
- Yehenew Ebstie
- Faisal Ashraf (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-5737-7067)
- Delenasaw Yewhalaw
- Bernard Abong’o
- Hamza Elzack
Institutions
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Jimma University (ET)
- University of Khartoum (SD)
- University of Groningen (NL)
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (GB)
- Université de Montpellier (FR)
- Kenya Medical Research Institute (KE)
- Maladies Infectieuses et Vecteurs: Écologie, Génétique, Évolution et Contrôle (FR)
- Mentor (GB)
- Federal Ministry of Health (SD)
- Ministry of Health and Medical Education (IR)
- National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (US)
- Directorate General of Health Services (BD)
- University of Djibouti (DJ)
- Armauer Hansen Research Institute (ET)
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR)
- Arba Minch University (ET)
- National Institute of Malaria Research (IN)
- Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences (IR)
- Jazan University (SA)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Science
- Published
- 2026-06-25
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adx6925
- Primary Topic
- Malaria Research and Control
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00