Beschreibung:
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:sec>
<jats:title>Background</jats:title>
<jats:p>Malaria, a disease transmitted by <jats:italic>Anopheles</jats:italic> mosquitoes, is a major public health problem causing millions of deaths worldwide, mostly among children under the age of 5 years. Biotechnological interventions targeting parasite-vector interactions have shown that the microsporidian symbiont <jats:italic>Microsporidia MB</jats:italic> has the potential to disrupt and block <jats:italic>Plasmodium</jats:italic> transmission.</jats:p>
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<jats:title>Methods</jats:title>
<jats:p>A prospective cross-sectional survey was conducted in Zinder City (Zinder), Niger, from August to September 2022, using the CDC light trap technique to collect adult mosquitoes belonging to the <jats:italic>Anopheles gambiae</jats:italic> complex. The survey focused on collecting mosquitoes from three neighborhoods of Zinder (Birni, Kangna and Garin Malan, located in communes I, II and IV, respectively). Collected mosquitoes were sorted and preserved in 70% ethanol. PCR was used to identify host species and detect the presence of <jats:italic>Microsporidia MB</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>Plasmodium falciparum</jats:italic> infection.</jats:p>
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<jats:title>Results</jats:title>
<jats:p>Of the 257 <jats:italic>Anopheles</jats:italic> mosquitoes collected and identified by PCR, <jats:italic>Anopheles coluzzii</jats:italic> was the most prevalent species, accounting for 97.7% of the total. <jats:italic>Microsporidia MB</jats:italic> was exclusively detected in <jats:italic>A. coluzzii</jats:italic>, with a prevalence of 6.8% (17/251) among the samples. No significant difference in prevalence was found among the three neighborhoods. Only one <jats:italic>An. coluzzii</jats:italic> mosquito tested PCR-positive for <jats:italic>P. falciparum</jats:italic>.</jats:p>
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<jats:title>Conclusions</jats:title>
<jats:p>The results confirm the presence of <jats:italic>Microsporidia MB</jats:italic> in <jats:italic>Anopheles</jats:italic> mosquitoes in Zinder, Niger, indicating its potential use as a biotechnological intervention against malaria transmission. However, further studies are needed to determine the efficacy of <jats:italic>Microsporidia MB</jats:italic> to disrupt <jats:italic>Plasmodium</jats:italic> transmission as well as its impact on vector fitness.</jats:p>
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<jats:title>Graphical Abstract</jats:title>
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