Endectocides as a complementary intervention in the malaria control program: a systematic review

Background: Malaria is the most common vector-borne disease transmitted to humans by Anopheles mosquitoes. Endectocides and especially ivermectin will be available as a vector control tool soon. The current review could be valuable for trial design and clinical studies to control malaria transmission. Methods: PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and Science Direct were searched for original English published papers on (Malaria chemical control OR Malaria elimination OR Anopheles vector control OR Malaria zooprophylaxis) AND (Systemic insecticides OR Endectocides OR Ivermectin). The last search was from 19 June 2019 to 31 December 2019. It was updated on 17 November 2020. Two reviewers (SG and FGK) independently reviewed abstracts and full-text articles. Data were extracted by one person and checked by another. As meta-analyses were not possible, a qualitative summary of results was performed. Results: Thirty-six published papers have used systemic insecticides/endectocides for mosquito control. Most of the studies (56.75%) were done on Anopheles gambiae complex species on doses from 150 mu g/kg to 400 mu g/kg in several studies. Target hosts for employing systemic insecticides/drugs were animals (44.2%, including rabbit, cattle, pig, and livestock) and humans (32.35%). Conclusions: Laboratory and field studies have highlighted the potential of endectocides in malaria control. Ivermectin and other endectocides could soon serve as novel malaria transmission control tools by reducing the longevity of Anopheles mosquitoes that feed on treated hosts, potentially decreasing Plasmodium parasite transmission when used as mass drug administration (MDA).

Automated summary

Systemic insecticides and endectocides, especially ivermectin, show potential in controlling malaria transmission by targeting Anopheles mosquitoes. Studies focused on Anopheles gambiae complex species and used animals and humans as target hosts for administering these drugs. Laboratory and field research indicate that these drugs could serve as novel tools for reducing Plasmodium parasite transmission in malaria control efforts.