Malaria – a disease transmitted between people by mosquitoes – remains a major cause of death globally, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. While recent efforts to control mosquitoes have been very successful in reducing malaria, particularly insecticide-treated bed nets, mosquito populations seem to be persisting. In this episode of Naturally Speaking, editors Ellen Hughes and Taya Forde are joined by Institute researcher Prof Heather Ferguson, along with her long-time collaborator, Dr Nico Govella of Ifakara Health Institute, Tanzania. Tune in as we learn about their work on understanding mosquito ecology using a unique semi-field system design known as a ‘mesocosm’ (aka Mosquito City). Be sure to stick with us until the end to hear some great stories about the challenges of fieldwork!

The paper discussed in the article is Ng’habi et al. (2018) Nature Scientific Reports 8:13949.

Don’t forget you can subscribe to automatically receive all our latest content, or just our podcasts. We are also available on iTunes and other podcast catchers.

Feature image: Original artwork courtesy of PhD researcher Eleni Christoforou, 2018©

Intro and outro music sampled from: “The Curtain Rises” and “Early Riser” Kevin MacLeod [CC BY 3.0]