Mosquitoes are one of the deadliest animals in the world, infecting between 250-500 million people every year with a wide range of fatal or debilitating diseases, including malaria, dengue, chikungunya, Zika, and West Nile Virus. Although scientists have learned a lot about them in recent years, they face a daunting task when it comes to identifying one mosquito from another. There are around 3,500 different species of them, and many look alike. Even a highly trained entomologist has to examine one for several minutes under a microscope to identify it accurately.
Scientists now have a new weapon against mosquitoes. Soumyadipta Acharya and his team of bioengineers at Johns Hopkins University have come up with a handheld tool for the rapid identification of mosquito species. “It is a simple low-cost device, that pairs with a mobile phone, running an app—the whole system is called VectorCam”.
“Using AI algorithms that we have developed, the app lets someone with minimal training identify the specific species of mosquitoes, as well as the sex, and abdominal status—in a matter of seconds,” Acharya said. “These are essential parameters that are part of routine vector surveillance in districts in mosquito endemic countries, such as India, Bangladesh, Brazil, and all African countries ”.
