MedPath

Evaluating ATSBs for Malaria Reduction in Kenya

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Malaria
Interventions
Device: Attractive Targeted Sugar Bait (ATSB)
Registration Number
NCT05219565
Lead Sponsor
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
Brief Summary

The effectiveness of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS) in western Kenya are threatened by insecticide resistance and vector behaviour changes toward early evening and outdoor biting malaria vectors. New tools to control malaria are needed to reduce and even interrupt malaria transmission. Attractive Targeted Sugar Bait (ATSB) is a promising new intervention designed to attract and kill mosquitoes, including those that IRS and LLINs do not effectively target. The ATSB 'bait stations' are A4-sized panels containing thickened fruit syrup laced with a neonicotinoid insecticide, dinotefuran, to attract and kill the foraging vectors. Entomological field trials in western Mali showed that ATSBs successfully reduce mosquito densities and longevity and thus have the potential to reduce malaria transmission. In Kenya, the investigators will conduct an open-label cluster-randomized controlled trial in 80 village clusters (40 per arm) to evaluate the effect of ATSBs on the burden of malaria. During two years, households in half of these village clusters will receive two or three ATSB bait stations per household structure on exterior walls approximately 1.8 meters above the ground. ATSBs will be replaced every six months. The primary outcome will be the incidence of clinical malaria in children aged 1-\<15 years enrolled in a prospective cohort followed monthly for about six months each during a 2-year period. Secondary outcomes include malaria infection prevalence assessed by rapid diagnostic tests through household surveys and the case burden of clinical malaria assessed by passive facility-based and community-based surveillance. The study includes entomological monitoring and nested acceptability, feasibility, and health economics studies. The stand-alone trial in western Kenya is a part of a multi-country ATSB consortium conducting similar trials in Zambia and Mali.

Detailed Description

The current malaria vector control tools, long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS) are critically important and have saved many lives. However, their effectiveness in western Kenya is threatened by insecticide resistance and vector behaviour changes toward more early evening and outdoor biting malaria vectors. LLINs and IRS specifically target indoor-biting and indoor-resting mosquitoes. Malaria vectors exhibit different behavioural characteristics that mitigate the effectiveness of vector control strategies. For example, traditionally, An. gambiae s.s. has been regarded as human-biting with late-night indoor-feeding and indoor-resting behaviours, while An. Arabiensis is found more often in drier environments and is more zoophagic with outdoor biting and resting behaviours. Following LLINs and IRS's widespread scale-up, the dominant African vectors' distributions and behaviours changed with An. gambiae s.s. and An. Funestus (also an indoor human biter) diminishing in abundance relative to An. arabiensis. Subsequently, shifts towards earlier evening biting by An. Gambiae s.s. (before people enter houses to sleep under LLINs) and later biting by An. Funestus (biting in the morning after sunrise) are examples of behavioural plasticity enabling these species to avoid contact with the LLIN and IRS insecticides.

There is a need for interventions that supplement and complement LLINs and IRS by killing mosquitoes outside houses using other biologic mechanisms (e.g., targeting sugar feeding behaviour). Furthermore, insecticides are required with novel modes of action that may restore sensitivity to pyrethroids by killing both pyrethroid-resistant and sensitive mosquitoes. Attractive Targeted Sugar Bait (ATSB) (the name was recently changed from Attractive Toxic Sugar Bait to highlight that it targets malaria vectors) is a promising new intervention that potentially fills the need for outdoor interventions with novel killing effects.

ATSB 'bait stations' are A4-sized panels containing thickened fruit syrup laced with a neonicotinoid insecticide (dinotefuran) to attract and kill the foraging vectors. Entomological field trials in Mali showed that ATSBs successfully reduce mosquito densities and longevity and thus have the potential to reduce malaria transmission. Large scale efficacy studies are now needed to establish the efficacy of ATSB for controlling malaria transmission.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
2962
Inclusion Criteria

Not provided

Exclusion Criteria

Not provided

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Attractive Targeted Sugar Bait (ATSB)Attractive Targeted Sugar Bait (ATSB)Clusters within the ATSB arm will have 2 ATSBs hung on all eligible structures in the cluster where consent from the corresponding compound has been given.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Clinical malariaTwo years

The incidence rate of clinical malaria defined as current fever (axillary temperature of ≥37.5°C) or history of fever in last 48 hours and a positive rapid diagnostic test (RDT, pLDH or HRP2), in children aged 1-\<15 years enrolled in the cohort study

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Sporozoite rateTwo years

Entomological outcomes: Sporozoite rate

Incidence of non-malaria illness (passive surveillance)Two years

The incidence rate of non-malaria illness assessed by health-facility and community-based surveillance

Prevalence of non-malaria illnessTwo years

The prevalence of non-malaria illness in cross-sectional household surveys

Markers of insecticide resistance (deltamethrin)Two years

Entomological outcome: Proportion of mosquitoes with resistance to deltamethrin among total mosquitoes collected in 4 WHO mosquito tubes in the trial area

AEsTwo years

Number of adverse events associated with misuse of ATSBs.

Perceptions of ATSBsTwo years

The proportion of household heads who perceive ATSBs as safe and effective out of all household head who consented to ATSB deployment on their household structures.

Time to first malaria infection by PCRTwo years

The time to first malaria infection assessed by PCR in children aged 1-\<15 years enrolled in a cohort study

Malaria infection incidence by RDT (pLDH)Two years

The incidence rate of malaria infection detected by RDT (pLDH) in children aged 1-\<15 years enrolled in a cohort study

Non-Target Organisms (NTOs) attracted to ATSBsTwo years

Entomological outcome: Proportion of monitoring visits where NTOs were observed on bait stations

Incidence of malaria illness (passive surveillance)Two years

The incidence rate of malaria illness (sick-visit with a positive malaria rapid diagnostic test or microscopy) assessed by health-facility and community-based surveillance

Entomological Inoculation Rate (EIR)Two years

Entomological outcome: Entomological Inoculation Rate (EIR)

Complexity of infection (COI)Two years

The complexity of (malaria) infection assessed by molecular markers, including, but not limited to, 24-single-nucleotide polymorphisms (24-SNP) barcodes

Household care seeking behavior in the setting of ATSBsTwo years

The proportion of children aged 1-\<15 years enrolled in a cohort study who sought care for febrile illness

Incidence of non-malaria illness (cohort)Two years

The incidence rate of non-malaria illness in children aged 1-\<15 years enrolled in a cohort study

Markers of insecticide resistance (dinotefuran)Two years

Entomological outcome: Proportion of mosquitoes with resistance to dinotefuran among total mosquitoes collected in 4 WHO mosquito tubes in the trial area

Markers of insecticide resistance (permethrin)Two years

Entomological outcome: Proportion of mosquitoes with resistance to permethrin among total mosquitoes collected in 4 WHO mosquito tubes in the trial area

Antibody concentrations against malaria antigen MSP-1Two years

Antibody concentration against merozoite surface protein-1 (MSP-1) among cohort participants

Antibody concentrations against malaria antigen CSPTwo years

Antibody concentration against circumsporozoite proteins (CSP) among cohort participants

Malaria vector densityTwo years

Entomological outcome: Malaria vector densities

Malaria infection prevalence by RDT (pLDH)Two years

The prevalence of malaria infection detected by RDT (pLDH) in cross-sectional household surveys

Proportion of female anopheles mosquitoes older than three gonotrophic cycles,Two years

Entomological outcome: The proportion of female anopheles mosquitoes older than three gonotrophic cycles.

Mosquito salivary antigensTwo years

Presence of mosquito salivary antigens in human blood as a measure for mosquito biting rates among cohort participants

ATSB removal rateTwo years

The proportion of ATSBs that have been moved/removed

Household use of LLINs in the setting of ATSBsTwo years

The proportion of children aged 1-\<15 years enrolled in a cohort study who used an LLIN the night prior

Cost-effectivenessTwo years

Incremental cost-effectiveness of ATSB above the standard of care measured through costing of intervention and efficacy outcomes

Trial Locations

Locations (9)

Naya Health Centre

🇰🇪

Siaya, Siaya County, Kenya

Rabar Dispensary

🇰🇪

Siaya, Siaya County, Kenya

Benga Dispensary

🇰🇪

Siaya, Siaya County, Kenya

Manyuanda Health Centre

🇰🇪

Siaya, Siaya County, Kenya

Nyadhi Dispensary

🇰🇪

Siaya, Siaya County, Kenya

Boro Dispensary

🇰🇪

Siaya, Siaya County, Kenya

Rambugu Dispensary

🇰🇪

Siaya, Siaya County, Kenya

Rageng'ni Dispensary

🇰🇪

Siaya, Siaya County, Kenya

Ong'ielo Model Health Centre

🇰🇪

Siaya, Siaya County, Kenya

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