Identifying Transgenic Approaches to Mitigate Vector Transmission of Malaria by Anopheles gambiae

Malaria, historically and contemporarily, poses a global health threat. As humans have engaged in control efforts with mosquitoes, the selection pressures placed upon mosquitoes have furthered the development of resistance to typical pyrethroids and other insecticides. Common management strategies such as insecticide-treated nets and residual spraying are proving to be more unreliable. As a result, novel control strategies must be developed to address the arms race between humans and the primary malaria vector, Anopheles gambiae. The introduction of transgenic mosquitoes and the use of Wolbachia offer techniques that decrease the use of chemical means of control. These techniques offer specifically targeted approaches to managing vector populations while avoiding further insecticide resistance. In this review, we delve into novel control strategies currently being used for A. gambiae and consider potential barriers for their use. A focused literature search was conducted using PubMed and Google Scholar with combinations of the terms “Anopheles gambiae”, “malaria vector”, “gene drive”, “Wolbachia”, “CRISPR”, and “transgenic mosquitoes”, with emphasis on studies published in the last 10 years.