The Application of Novel Transgenic technology and Inherited symbionts to Vector Control (ANTI-VeC) will host its annual meeting online this year due to COVID-19 restrictions. Registration is free and the four weekly webinars will take place every Thursday from November 19 to December 10. ANTI-VeC is a UK-based network with the aim of facilitating the development of novel control strategies for vector-borne diseases with importance to human and animal health in low and middle-income countries.
This year’s meeting will centre around the results of 11 ANTI-VeC funded projects awarded in 2018. Dr Jeremy Herren (International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Kenya) will present the results of his highly promising research about the transmission blocking microbe Microsporidia MB, which provides protection against malaria in Anopheles mosquitoes. Dr Abdoulaye Diabate and Dr Etienne Bilgo (Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé, Burkina Faso) will speak about co-infection of Wolbachia and the entomopathogenic fungus, Metarhizium pingshaense in the mosquito Aedes aegypti – their research which was recently awarded the 2019 Newcomb Cleveland Prize.
The webinars are intended for those working and interested in the fields of vector control and genetic modification of vectors. The events will feature talks related to malaria and arbovirus transmitting mosquitoes, sandfly and tsetse vectors of disease. Speakers will also explore issues related to community engagement for mosquito releases, and what is known about mosquitoes’ auditory function that is key to their evolution.
Registration is free, and you are also invited to join the network. Visit the network’s Eventbrite website to learn more!
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