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Evaluating the impact of attractive targeted sugar baits in Zambia: a community randomized controlled trial

Edited by:
Richard Steketee, MD, MPH, Independent Scholar

Submission Status: Open   |   Submission Deadline: 28 February 2025


Malaria Journal is presenting the Collection on 'Evaluating the impact of attractive targeted sugar baits in Zambia: a community randomized controlled trial.'

This Collection includes the main entomology results, cost-effectiveness of Attractive targeted sugar baits (ATSBs), study site description, intervention description, community acceptability of ATSBs, and ATSB durability. Please note that this Collection is open for submissions by 'invite-only.'

About the Collection

Malaria Journal is presenting the Collection on 'Evaluating the impact of attractive targeted sugar baits in Zambia: a community randomized controlled trial.' 

There is a need to develop and test new vector control tools to compliment long-lasting insecticidal nets and indoor residual spraying. Attractive targeted sugar baits (ATSBs) are designed to attract and kill mosquitoes, including those biting outdoors. We conducted an open-label, two-arm, cluster-randomized, controlled trials in Western Province Zambia from November 2021 through June 2023 to determine the impact and safety of ATSBs on the primary outcome of clinical malaria incidence among children 1-14 years old in the context of universal vector control coverage. 

The trial successfully deployed and maintained 2 ATSBs per eligible structures in 35 intervention clusters during two consecutive seasonal peak periods from November to June; 35 five clusters received no ATSBs and served as a contemporaneous control group. Primary entomological outcomes included vector parity, abundance, sporozoite rate, and entomological inoculation rate. Data on ATSB cost, acceptability and durability were also collected during the trial. This Collection includes the main entomology results, cost-effectiveness of ATSBs, study site description, intervention description, community acceptability of ATSBs, and ATSB durability.

Please note that this Collection is open for submissions by 'invite-only.'

Image credit:
Top left image- © James Gathany, 
Remaining images- © PATH, photographer Mundia H Masuzyo


  1. Attractive Targeted Sugar Baits (ATSBs) are a proposed new vector control tool for malaria that contain sugar and an ingestion toxicant, and are designed to attract and kill sugar-feeding mosquitoes. During a ...

    Authors: Irene Kyomuhangi, Joshua Yukich, Kochelani Saili, Erica Orange, Mundia H. Masuzyo, Mwansa Mwenya, Patricia Mambo, Busiku Hamainza, Joe Wagman, John Miller, Javan Chanda, Kafula Silumbe, Megan Littrell, Thomas P. Eisele and Ruth A. Ashton
    Citation: Malaria Journal 2024 23:263
    Content type: Research Published on:

  2. Community acceptance is an important criterion to assess in community trials, particularly for new tools that require high coverage and use by a target population. Installed on exterior walls of household stru...

    Authors: Erica Orange, Annie Arnzen, Chuma Muluma, Situmbeko Akalalambili, Titus Tobolo, Frank Ndalama, Chama Chishya, Kochelani Saili, Ruth A. Ashton, Thomas P. Eisele, Joshua Yukich, Irene Kyomuhangi, John Miller, Kafula Silumbe, Javan Chanda, Busiku Hamainza…
    Citation: Malaria Journal 2024 23:240
    Content type: Research Published on:

  3. Attractive targeted sugar bait (ATSB) stations are a novel tool with potential to complement current approaches to malaria vector control. To assess the public health value of ATSB station deployment in areas ...

    Authors: Joseph Wagman, Benjamin Chanda, Javan Chanda, Kochelani Saili, Erica Orange, Patricia Mambo, Rayford Muyabe, Tresford Kaniki, Mwansa Mwenya, Mirabelle Ng’andu, Jimmy Sakala, Willy Ngulube, John Miller, Annie Arnzen, Kafula Silumbe, Gift Mwaanga…
    Citation: Malaria Journal 2024 23:214
    Content type: Research Published on:

  4. Attractive Targeted Sugar Baits (ATSBs) offer a complementary vector control strategy to interventions targeting blood feeding or larval control by attacking the sugar feeding behaviour of adult mosquitoes usi...

    Authors: Erica Orange, Irene Kyomuhangi, Mundia Masuzyo, Mwansa Mwenya, Patricia Mambo, Kochelani Saili, Chama Chishya, Javan Chanda, Ruth A. Ashton, Thomas P. Eisele, Joshua Yukich, John Miller, Kafula Silumbe, Busiku Hamainza, Joseph Wagman, Annie Arnzen…
    Citation: Malaria Journal 2024 23:204
    Content type: Research Published on:

  5. The primary vector control interventions in Zambia are long-lasting insecticidal nets and indoor residual spraying. Challenges with these interventions include insecticide resistance and the outdoor biting and...

    Authors: Gift Mwaanga, Jacob Ford, Joshua Yukich, Benjamin Chanda, Ruth A. Ashton, Javan Chanda, Buster Munsanje, Emliny Muntanga, Malon Mulota, Christine Simuyandi, Boyd Mulala, Limonty Simubali, Kochelani Saili, Edgar Simulundu, John Miller, Busiku Hamainza…
    Citation: Malaria Journal 2024 23:169
    Content type: Research Published on:

  6. The attractive targeted sugar bait (ATSB) is a novel malaria vector control tool designed to attract and kill mosquitoes using a sugar-based bait, laced with oral toxicant. Western Province, Zambia, was one of...

    Authors: Annie Arnzen, Joseph Wagman, Chama Chishya, Erica Orange, Thomas P. Eisele, Joshua Yukich, Ruth A. Ashton, Javan Chanda, Jimmy Sakala, Benjamin Chanda, Rayford Muyabe, Tresford Kaniki, Mwansa Mwenya, Gift Mwaanga, Will T. Eaton, Brooke Mancuso…
    Citation: Malaria Journal 2024 23:153
    Content type: Case Study Published on:

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of Research articles. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal. 

Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. Please, select the appropriate Collection title “Evaluating the impact of attractive targeted sugar baits in Zambia: a community randomized controlled trial" under the “Details” tab during the submission stage.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer-review process. The peer-review of any submissions for which the Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.