Background
After my graduation (BSc), my research experience has started with two months training in 2009 in medical entomology at the malaria research laboratory of Organisation de Coordination pour la Lutte contre les Grandes Endemies en Afrique Centrale (OCEAC) in Yaoundé, Cameroon. During this training, I learned to rear mosquitoes in the insectary and to identify malaria vectors both morphologically and molecularly with PCR. At the end of this training, I was recruited as research technician in the same laboratory in October 2009. I was in charge of collecting, rearing mosquitoes and assessing their susceptibility status. During that contract, my key achievements were:
- Participation in several field collection of gambiae larvae in Douala and Yaoundé (Cameroon),
- Mapping of the geographical distribution of gambiaebreeding sites in more than ten districts in Douala, Cameroon
- Mass rearing of field collected gambiae in laboratory Douala, Cameroon for WHO bioassays,
- Assessment of the insecticide susceptibility status of adults gambiae to several insecticides such as permethrin, deltamethrin, Malathion and bendiocarb (testing more than 10 000 adults mosquitoes) in Douala, Cameroon.
- Storage of mosquito samples: resistant mosquitoes in RNA later and susceptible in silicagel.
- Larvae insecticide test of gambiae with Permethrin and Deltamethrin (DL50, DL80, DL99), Yaoundé and Douala (Cameroon).
My involvement in that research project as a technician has allowed me to appreciate the role of vector biology in the control of so many vector-borne diseases. Carrying out my daily duties has given me a great desire to improve my knowledge in vector biology in order to bring my contribution in the process of malaria eradication in Cameroon and in Africa.
In 2012 I have been awarded a Wellcome Trust Master’s Fellowship on the topic: Investigating the patterns of insecticide resistance in Central African population of Anopheles funestus a major malaria vector , so I went to the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine for a Master course entitle: Molecular Biology of Parasite and diseases vectors. This allowed me to learn more about the biology and the ecology of vectors as well as their interactions with their respective parasites but more importantly to remain in this field of research. In addition, this master fellowship has also offered me the unique opportunity to carry out a more comprehensive research project on insecticide resistance in one of the major malaria Vector in Cameroon.
After the Master in Molecular Biology of Parasite and Diseases Vectors obtained at LSTM. A PhD position was offer to me in the same institution. Between 2016 and 2020, I was register as PhD student at the LSTM working on the topic: Impact of GSTe and P450 metabolic based resistance on the effectiveness of various bed nets against Anopheles funestus, a major malaria vector in Africa. This was done under the supervision of Prof Charles WONDJI.
So far I have been working and gained a lot of experiences in the following area:
- DNA extraction
- PCR
- Genotyping (TaqMan)
- RNA extraction
- cDNA synthesis
- Quantitative PCR
- Amplifications, purifications, sequencing and sequences analysis of some keys genes.
- Designing primers
- Phase 2 experimental hut trial: Assessing of the performance of bed nets and IRS using experimental huts WHO standard.
In September 2020 The PhD was successfully defend and the Degree of Doctor was awarded.
PUBLICATIONS
B.D. Menze, M.F. Kouamo, M.J. Wondji, W. Tchapga, M. Tchoupo, M.O. Kusimo, C.S. Mouhamadou, J.M. Riveron and C.S. Wondji. 2020. An Experimental Hut Evaluation of PBO-Based and Pyrethroid-Only Nets against the Malaria Vector Anopheles funestus Reveals a Loss of Bed Nets Efficacy Associated with GSTe2 Metabolic Resistance. Genes 11, 143 (2020) doi:10.3390/genes11020143.
Leon, M.M., Benjamin, M.D., Magellan, T., Murielle, W.J., Helen, I., Micareme, T., Jack, H., Gareth, W.D., Jacob, R.M., Fidelis, C.-N., 2020. A 6.5 kb intergenic structural variation enhances P450-mediated resistance to pyrethroids in malaria vectors lowering bed net efficacy. BioRxiv.
L.M.J. Mugenzi, B.D. Menze, M. Tchouakui, M.J. Wondji, H. Irving, M. Tchoupo, J.
Hearn, G.D. Weedall, J.M. Riveron and C.S. Wondji. 2020. Cis-regulatory CYP6P9b P450
variants associated with loss of insecticide-treated bed net efficacy against Anopheles
funestus. Nature Communications 10, 4652 (2019) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-
019-12686-5.
Gareth D. Weedall1, Leon M. J. Mugenzi, Benjamin D. Menze, Magellan Tchouakui, Sulaiman S. Ibrahim1, Nathalie Amvongo-Adjia, Helen Irving, Murielle J. Wondji, Micareme Tchoupo, Rousseau Djouaka, Jacob M. Riveron, Charles S. Wondji
A cytochrome P450 allele confers pyrethroid resistance on a major African malaria vector, reducing insecticide-treated bednet efficacy
science translational medicine | research article
Menze, B. D. et al. Bionomics and insecticides resistance profiling of malaria vectors at a selected site for experimental hut trials in central Cameroon. Malar J 17, 317, doi:10.1186/s12936-018-2467-2 (2018).
Benjamin D. Menze, Jacob M. Riveron, Sulaiman S. Ibrahim, Helen Irving, Christophe Antonio-Nkondjio, Parfait H. Awono-Ambene, Charles S. Wondji. Multiple Insecticide Resistance in the Malaria Vector Anopheles funestus from Northern Cameroon Is Mediated by Metabolic Resistance alongside Potential Target Site Insensitivity Mutations. PLOS ONE | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0163261 October 10, 2016
Cyrille Ndo, Edmond Kopya, Benjamin Menze-Djantio, Jean Claude Toto, Parfait Awono-Ambene, Gareth Lycett and Charles S. Wondji High susceptibility of wild Anopheles funestus to infection with natural Plasmodium falciparum gametocytes using membrane feeding assays. Parasites & Vectors (2016) 9:341
Cyrille Ndo, Benjamin Menze Djantio and Christophe Antonio-Nkondjio. Awareness, attitudes and prevention of malaria in the cities of Douala and Yaoundé (Cameroon) http://www.parasitesandvectors.com/content/4/1/181
Christophe Antonio-Nkondjio, Billy Tene Fossog, Cyrille Ndo, Benjamin Menze Djantio, Serge Zebaze Togouet, Parfait Awono-Ambene , Carlo Costantini , Charles S Wondji and Hilary Ranson. Anopheles gambiae distribution and insecticide resistance in the cities of Douala and Yaoundé (Cameroon): influence of urban agriculture and pollution.
http://www.malariajournal.com/content/10/1/154
Billy Tene Fossog , Edmond Kopya , Cyrille Ndo , Benjamin Menze Djantio , Carlo Costantini , Flaubert Njiokou , Parfait Awono-Ambene , and Christophe Antonio-Nkondjio. Water Quality and Anopheles gambiae larval tolerance to Pyrethroids in the cities of Douala and Yaoundé (Cameroon). Journal of tropical medicine, volume 2012, Article ID 429817, 10 pages.
AREA OF RESEARCH AND OTHER RELEVANT EXPERTISE
During the past 4 years, I spent about 30 weeks on the field carrying out experiment hut trial
May 2016: Trained on how to assess the effectiveness of LLINs using experimental hut by Dr Mohamadou Chouaibou and Prof Charles Wondji in Mibellon Cameroon.
July-August 2016: 12 weeks evaluation of the effectiveness of five bed nets against resistant Anopheles funestus in experimental hut trial in Mibellon, followed by a laboratory work to assess the impact of the GSTe2 mutation on that performance (Menze et al 2020).
April 2017: Trained on how to assess the effectiveness of Indoor Residual Spray (IRS) at Tiassale experimental station in Cote d’Ivoire under the supervision of Dr Mohamadou Chouaibou.
June-August 2017: Assess the impact of CYP6P9a/b on the effectiveness of four beds nets sing experimental hut at Mibellon (Weedal et al 2019, Mugenzi et al 2020)
December 2017: Three weeks in the republic of Mozambique to train a team there on experimental hut trial.
July-August 2018: Assess the effectiveness of Interceptor and interceptor G2 using experimental hut in Mibellon.
November 2018-Febrary 2019: Director of study of a Phase 2 evaluation of Duranet plus and Duranet plus 2.0 from an Indian company against resistant Anopheles funestus in Mibellon using experimental hut.
March-April 2020: Director of study of a Phase 2 evaluation of GreenNet from an Indian company against resistant Anopheles funestus in Mibellon using experimental hut.
2019-2020: PMI / VECTOR LINK PROJECT IN CAMEROON: Member of the team carrying out entomological surveillance in the sentinel site Gounougou in Cameroon. The methodology used in this project was including Human Landing Catch, Spray catch and CDC light trap.
ROLE AT CRID
-Post Doc at CRID working on the Impact of escalation of insecticide resistance on control tools and malaria Transmission
-In charge of the experimental station of CRID ready for a wide range of phase 2 studies
GRANTS
-MENZE Djantio Benjamin 17/05/2011
Wellcome Trust Master’s Fellowship
Investigating the patterns of insecticide resistance in Central African population of Anopheles funestus a major malaria vector
Total cost: 103,795£
-MENZE Djantio Benjamin 28/08/2019
PIIVeC Operational Research Project
Assessing the effectiveness of long lasting Insecticidal Nets against major malaria vectors in Cameroon using experimental huts.
Total cost: 10,000£