BiteBarrier Provides Strong Protection Against Malaria and Arbovirus Mosquitoes

Greg Howard
1st October, 2025

BiteBarrier Provides Strong Protection Against Malaria and Arbovirus Mosquitoes

This large, screened enclosure in Tanzania allows scientists to safely test new mosquito repellents in a controlled but realistic outdoor environment.

Photo adapted from: Maasayi et al. / CC BY (Source)

Key Findings

  • In Tanzania, a study using BiteBarrier devices showed promising results in controlling malaria and arbovirus-transmitting mosquitoes in simulated indoor and outdoor environments
  • BiteBarrier reduced mosquito bites by over 93% indoors and 80% outdoors, working effectively against both insecticide-susceptible and resistant mosquito species
  • The device also caused significant mosquito mortality – 47% indoors and 26% outdoors – over the eight-week study period, suggesting it can lower mosquito populations
Controlling mosquito-borne diseases like malaria and dengue fever is increasingly difficult. Traditional methods, such as insecticide-treated bed nets and indoor spraying, are losing effectiveness as mosquitoes develop resistance to insecticides and, crucially, change their biting habits[2]. More mosquitoes are biting during the early evening and outdoors, times when these traditional methods offer limited protection. This shift in behavior increases the risk of transmission, particularly as cities continue to expand and house a growing proportion of the global population[2]. Researchers at the Ifakara Health Institute, in collaboration with NM-AIST, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, University of Basel, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, University of Notre Dame, and University of Massachusetts Amherst, investigated a new approach to mosquito control using a device called BiteBarrier[1]. BiteBarrier is a spatial emanator – a device that releases a volatile chemical, transfluthrin, into the air to repel or kill mosquitoes. The aim of the study was to evaluate how well BiteBarrier works against different mosquito species, including those that are resistant to common insecticides, over an extended period. The study was conducted in a “semi-field system,” which is essentially a controlled outdoor environment that mimics real-life indoor and outdoor settings. This allowed the researchers to observe mosquito behavior and measure the effectiveness of BiteBarrier under more realistic conditions than a laboratory setting. Five mosquito species were tested: Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto (s.s.) – a major malaria vector – in both insecticide-susceptible and knock-down resistance (KDR) forms; Anopheles funestus and Culex quinquefasciatus, both resistant to pyrethroid insecticides; and Aedes aegypti, a key vector of dengue fever. Two methods were used to assess BiteBarrier’s protective effect. The first measured the “landing rate” – how many mosquitoes landed on people or surfaces. The second, and more reliable, measured the “feeding success” – how many mosquitoes actually managed to take a blood meal from a person. demonstrated that feeding success provided more accurate results than simply counting landings, as not all landings result in a bite. The results were encouraging. BiteBarrier provided over 93% protection against mosquito bites indoors and 80% protection outdoors, regardless of whether the mosquitoes were susceptible to insecticides or had developed resistance. Importantly, the device also caused substantial mosquito mortality – 47% indoors and 26% outdoors – over the eight-week study period. This is significant because it suggests BiteBarrier can both prevent bites and reduce the overall mosquito population. These findings build on earlier work highlighting the need for integrated vector management (IVM) strategies[3]. IVM emphasizes using a combination of tools to control mosquitoes, rather than relying on a single method. The increasing insecticide resistance observed in many mosquito populations[3] underscores the importance of diversifying control approaches. Spatial repellents, like BiteBarrier, offer a complementary strategy that can work alongside existing methods like insecticide-treated nets and indoor spraying. The study also aligns with the growing recognition of the potential for spatial repellents to fill critical gaps in mosquito control[4]. Previous discussions among stakeholders, including the World Health Organization (WHO), have focused on establishing guidelines for the development and evaluation of these products.[4] notes a key need for epidemiological data demonstrating the public health impact of spatial repellents in different settings to support policy recommendations. The research conducted by the Ifakara Health Institute and its partners provides valuable evidence in this regard. The BiteBarrier’s effectiveness against both susceptible and resistant mosquito species is particularly noteworthy. This suggests it could be a useful tool in areas where insecticide resistance is widespread, a growing problem in many malaria-endemic regions[3]. The eight-week duration of protection also indicates that it could provide a sustained level of control, reducing the need for frequent re-application.

MedicineEnvironmentHealth

References

Main Study

1) The BiteBarrier transfluthrin emanator demonstrates significant protection against susceptible and resistant malaria and arbovirus vectors in semi-field trials in Tanzania

Published 30th September, 2025

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0320624

Related Studies

2) Challenges to Mitigating the Urban Health Burden of Mosquito-Borne Diseases in the Face of Climate Change.

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18095035

3) Current vector control challenges in the fight against malaria.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actatropica.2017.06.028

4) Spatial repellents: The current roadmap to global recommendation of spatial repellents for public health use.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crpvbd.2022.100107


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