Lincoln to Lead Global Initiative to Study Vector-Borne Malaria Parasites in Wildlife

A global consortium of scientists, led by the University of Lincoln, UK, will start new research to investigate the widespread impact of vector-transmitted malaria parasites in wildlife, which are found worldwide and are causing increasing concern due to global warming and land use changes.

The project group spans 37 countries and comprises more than 140 collaborators, under the name of the “Wildlife Malaria Network” (WIMANET). The team will co-ordinate the analysis of existing scientific samples, expertise and data sets to tackle the challenges surrounding malaria parasites in wildlife, as well as training a new generation of wildlife malaria researchers.

By uniting researchers and institutions from around the world, WIMANET holds the promise of advancing our understanding of wildlife malaria parasites to find effective strategies to tackle the challenges faced with wildlife malaria parasites in a changing world.

Dr Jenny Dunn, Senior Lecturer in Animal Health and Disease at the University of Lincoln and Chair of the Network, said: “We don’t currently understand the full effect that malaria and other blood parasites have on wildlife. Historically, it was always thought that wild animal hosts were unaffected by the huge diversity of malaria parasite lineages that exist in wildlife populations around the world, however, through medication experiments we now know that this isn’t true.

“This collaboration will gather expert knowledge to quantify the diversity of these parasites, allowing us to better understand the complex associations between parasites and their hosts – which include birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and fish. We will then analyse existing data from current research groups to unearth the global impact of malaria on wildlife.

“The general public need not worry though, as the strains of malaria which are present in wildlife tend to be very host-specific, and there are no strains of wildlife malaria in the UK that humans can contract.”

The research is funded by EU COST (Co-Operation in Science and Technology), and the project is set to run until autumn 2027.