Anna COHUET

Information

Scientific interests and projects

I have special interest in the ecology of malaria transmission and I have been working on the genetic and environmental determinants of vectorial capacity and competence in malaria vectors, especially focusing on the An. gambiae - P. falciparum system. An ongoing effort in my group is to account for the natural diversity of vector mosquitoes-malaria parasite associations and to perform experiments in conditions that reflect nature as much as possible. I currently develop my field research projects in Burkina Faso on transmission-blocking interventions and on the behavioral effect of infection in interactions with malaria control tools. I lead the MoMa team (Mosquito-Malaria interactions), which is composed of 5 other permanent members and postdocs and students.

We believe that malaria transmission is best studied through a variety of means combining the relevance of the field and the power of model systems. Therefore, we have developed platforms in Cameroon and Burkina Faso for experimental infection of mosquito vectors by P. falciparum isolates collected from naturally infected patients. For instance, such facilities allow measuring the efficacy of transmission-blocking interventions. Mosquitoes can also be exposed to specific environmental conditions, including exposition to insecticides for measuring their effect, or the insect can be fed before and after a drug treatment by the patient.

In addition, an avian malaria system ( Plasmodium relictum - Culex pipiens ) was developed in Montpellier, which could be especially useful to overcome ethical or technical limitations specific to the inclusion of human patients. Recognising the power of genomics, we are in the midst of adapting our current enquiry methods to the genomics era. We have described the use of single cell transcriptomics directly in parasites from naturally infected carriers, which opens the possibility of studying disease and transmission relevant phenotypes directly in infected patients and bridge the gap between lab and field investigations. We therefore have a rich field and lab experimental scope through which many aspects of malaria biology could be studied within new collaborations.

Top 5 publications of the last 5 years

1. Dormont L, Mulatier M, Carrasco D, Cohuet A. Mosquito Attractants. J Chem Ecol. 2021 May;47(4-5):351-393. doi: 10.1007/s10886-021-01261-2.

2. Guissou E, Da DF, Hien DFS, Yameogo KB, Yerbanga SR, Ouédraogo GA, Dabiré KR, Lefèvre T, Cohuet A. Intervention reducing malaria parasite load in vector mosquitoes: No impact on Plasmodium falciparum extrinsic incubation period and the survival of Anopheles gambiae. PLoS Pathog. 2023 May 17;19(5):e1011084. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011084. 

3. Challenger JD, Olivera Mesa D, Da DF, Yerbanga RS, Lefèvre T, Cohuet A, Churcher TS. Predicting the public health impact of a malaria transmission-blocking vaccine. Nat Commun. 2021 Mar 8;12(1):1494. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-21775-3. 

4. Inklaar MR, de Jong RM, Da DF, Hubregtse LL, Meijer M, Teelen K, Bekkering ET, Grievink S, van de Vegte-Bolmer M, van Gemert GJ, Stoter R, Nagaoka H, Tsuboi T, Takashima E, Spruijt CG, Vermeulen M, Dabire RK, Arinaitwe E, Cohuet A, Bousema T, Jore MM. Pfs230 domain 12 is a potent malaria transmission-blocking vaccine candidate. Sci Adv. 2025 Nov 7;11(45):eadw8216. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adw8216. 

5. Somé BM, Guissou E, Da DF, Richard Q, Choisy M, Yameogo KB, Hien DF, Yerbanga RS, Ouedraogo GA, Dabiré KR, Djidjou-Demasse R, Cohuet A, Lefèvre T. Mosquito ageing modulates the development, virulence and transmission potential of pathogens. Proc Biol Sci. 2024 Jan 10;291(2014):20232097. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2097.