There are standard methods for classifying mosquitoes according to their age. However, they are laborious and expensive. That’s why researchers have turned to artificial intelligence (AI) to predict it more accurately..
The fact is that old mosquitoes are more prone to transmitting malaria than young ones. Hence the interest of targeted interventions. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the African region would bring together 95% case of malaria in 2021. Which is not negligible since, that year, we identified 247 million cases in the world. This research, which might contribute to eradicating malaria, was carried out by an African team. The new study was published in BMC Bioinformatics.
They combined AI with MIRS
This new study concerns strains of mosquitoes reared in the laboratory. They come from the laboratories of the Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania and the University of Glasgow in Scotland. For their work, the researchers equipped themselves with an analytical tool called ” mid-infrared spectroscopy » for MIRS. With this instrument, they recorded the biochemical composition of mosquitoes. Then they used this data to train a machine learning modela form of AI that is used to predict the age of mosquitoes.
According to scientists, preventing the spread of malaria is key to eradicating this disease. Similarly, the use of innovative tools to fight once morest mosquitoes contributes to this objective. Emmanuel Mwanga even explained that this artificial intelligence is an alternative more effective than standard methods. It should be noted that he is the lead author of the study and a researcher at the Ifakara Health Institute.
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98% accuracy through machine learning
Machine learning displays approximately 98% accuracy. Not to mention that it requires less work, less time and fewer resources. However, more research are useful before you can actually use it. For good reason, this study did not concern only one type of mosquito. This is theAnopheles arabiensisand strains come from only two countries.
Furthermore, Emmanuel Mwanga said that researchers need better understand the factors that influence the transmission of malaria. This concerns, among other things, the age, host preferences and species of malaria-carrying mosquitoes. A better understanding would allowimprove interventions once morest the latter. After all, mosquitoes that prefer to prey on humans are more likely to transmit disease, despite their age.
“The accurate prediction of these factors can help identify high-risk populations and target interventions more effectively. »
Emmanuel Mwanga
