Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40611197›Full record

ArticleParasites & vectors2025

The effect of eave and window modifications on house entry behavior of Anopheles gambiae.

Jeroen Spitzen, Martin J Lankheet, Remco P M Pieters, Miracle Gadamika, Ike Phiri, Antoine Cribellier, James G Logan, Constantianus J M Koenraadt, Kamija S Phiri, Florian T Muijres and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Parasites & vectors, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Jeroen SpitzenLaboratory of Entomology, Department of Plant Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Martin J LankheetExperimental Zoology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Remco P M PietersExperimental Zoology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Miracle GadamikaSchool of Global and Public Health, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi.
Ike PhiriMalawi University of Business and Applied Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi.
Antoine CribellierExperimental Zoology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
James G LoganLondon School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
Constantianus J M KoenraadtLaboratory of Entomology, Department of Plant Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Kamija S PhiriSchool of Global and Public Health, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi.
Florian T MuijresExperimental Zoology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Robert S McCannCenter for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. rmccann@som.umaryland.edu.

Funding

FELLOWSHIP TRAINING PROGRAM IN VACCINOLOGYT32AI007524 · NIAID · UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE · PI Marcelo B. Sztein · 1997 to 2026
$6.4M
Impact of malaria vector diversity on intervention strategiesK01TW011770 · FIC · UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE · PI MCCANN, ROBERT SEAN · 2020 to 2024
$668k
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council BB/R00532X/1FIC NIH HHS K01 TW011770NIAID NIH HHS T32 AI007524NIH HHS T32AI007524
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAnopheles gambiae mosquitoes transmit malaria parasites to humans mostly by biting them indoors at night, entering houses predominantly through ventilation openings such as open eaves and windows. In the study reported here, we studied how flying An. gambiae approach and enter a house, and whether barriers to reduce mosquito house entry alter mosquito flight patterns.

methodsStereoscopic high-speed videography was used to reconstruct nearly 70,000 three-dimensional tracks of mosquitoes flying around a house during 30 experimental nights, with five combinations of closed or screened eaves and windows (eaves open - windows open; eaves open - windows closed; eaves open - windows screened; eaves closed - windows screened; eaves screened - windows screened).

resultsIn this study the eave and window treatments did not affect the number of mosquitoes attracted to the house. In all cases, mosquitoes were most active during the early evening, with lower but sustained activity throughout the night. Most An. gambiae mosquitoes approached the house by flying directly towards the eave in an upward sloping path with minimal left-right deviations, and most flight activity near the house was directly in front of the eave. Due to the highly attractive nature of the eave area of the house, window treatments had limited to no effect on the number of house entries when eaves were left open, highlighting the importance of closing or screening eaves to prevent mosquito house entry. For the screened eave treatment, An. gambiae spent about 10-fold more time near the eave over the course of the night compared to the time spent near the eave in the open or closed eave treatments. Moreover, these mosquitoes returned multiple times, persistently trying to enter the house. When the eaves were fully closed, mosquitoes ultimately diverted from the eave area towards the screened window, but the initial approach flights remained towards the closed eave.

conclusionsTaken together, these results demonstrate the tendency of An. gambiae to direct house entry toward the eaves, and to only divert to other house entry points as a secondary option. The persistent mosquito flight near screened eaves may provide guidance for the placement of outdoor vector control tools.

Indexed as

AnophelesBehavior, AnimalHousingMosquito VectorsAnimalsFemaleFlight, AnimalHumansMalariaMosquito ControlVideo RecordingAnopheles gambiaeHousingInsect flightMalariaMosquito controlVideography

Identifiers

PMID40611197
PMCPMC12231866

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.