Experts make stunning scientific breakthrough with help of strangers: 'Of significant importance globally'

With the help of artificial intelligence and the public, researchers from the University of South Florida have identified what could be the first invasive malaria-transmitting mosquito in Madagascar, an island already plagued by a high prevalence of mosquito-borne illnesses. 

What's happening?

According to a news release from the university's College of Arts and Sciences, the mosquito, scientifically known as Anopheles stephensi, has been rapidly expanding its range in Africa, particularly in urban areas, where it utilizes water tanks and other artificial containers for breeding.

Rising global temperatures caused by the warming climate are providing the perfect conditions for the mosquito to thrive, potentially putting over 120 million more people at risk of contracting malaria. 

For similar reasons, the deadly mosquito has now appeared in Madagascar, but thanks to modern technologies, it's becoming easier to detect the spread of invasive species. Local residents in Antananarivo, Madagascar's capital, used NASA's GLOBE Observer app to scan the environment and snap a photo of a mosquito larva in a tire in 2020. Using machine-learning algorithms, the USF scientists later determined that the mosquito larvae were Anopheles stephensi. 

The team then used these tools to find over 100 other larvae of the same species later that day, signaling that the mosquito was spreading rapidly. That year, the country recorded a doubling of malaria cases and deaths, and while researchers haven't definitively determined the invasive mosquito as the cause, the timing is concerning. 

Why is the uptick in malaria concerning?

According to the study, published in the Insects journal, Madagascar is already highly vulnerable to vector-borne illnesses, especially malaria. The disease is among the top five causes of death in the country, which "had by far the largest increase in both malaria incidence and mortality rates of any of the 11 east/south African countries with high transmission" from 2015 to 2020, as the authors stated.

Controlling the spread of invasive species is difficult because they are resistant to many common pesticides and vulnerable to parasites, which can then be transmitted to humans.

While the country has successfully reduced malaria-related deaths to less than 5% in half its districts and less than 10% in others, according to a 2023 World Health Organization report, the recent spike in cases could undermine these efforts.

Uganda is also experiencing an increase in malaria cases, and the disease has even been detected in New Jersey for the first time in nearly 30 years, with scientists attributing this to climate change and more unpredictable rainfall patterns.

What's being done to stop the spread?

As malaria remains one of the biggest killers in the world, causing the deaths of nearly 500,000 children under the age of five each year, researchers are eager to combine science-backed treatments with modern technologies to stop its spread. 

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They said that citizen scientists could play a crucial role in these efforts, as photos captured through apps like NASA's, which allow users to collect environmental observations from their smartphones, make it easy to detect disease-carrying mosquitoes early. Scientists can then use AI algorithms to identify the specific species.

USF researchers want to take it one step further with a remote AI-enabled smart trap in Florida, which has experienced record levels of malaria outbreaks in recent years.

"AI is increasingly being used in many aspects of public health, and mosquito surveillance is an area of significant importance globally, and in Florida," Sriram Chellappan, one of the study's co-authors, said. "We believe we are pioneering next-generation surveillance systems for public health, geared towards combating mosquito-borne diseases."

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