Ayoade Babatunde Olanrewaju1, Ochuele Dominic Agida2,3, Moses Adondua Abah2,3,Micheal Oladosu Abimbola3,4 and Favour Chidindu Ifeanyi2

 1Department of Biology and Environmental Science, College of Arts and Sciences, University of New Haven, West Haven, Connecticut, USA

2Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biosciences, Federal University Wukari, Taraba State, Nigeria

3ResearchHub Nexus Institute, Nigeria

4Department of Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Science, Anchor University, Ayobo, Lagos State, Nigeria

(✉) Corresponding Author: Moses Adondua Abah; m.abah@fuwukari.edu.ng

Received: Aug 23, 2026/ Revised: Sept 18 2026/Accepted: Sept 19, 2026

Highlights

  • Climate variables strongly influence Anopheles abundance and geographic distribution.
  • Major malaria vectors vary across ecological zones in West Africa.
  • Persistent Plasmodium resistance markers include Pfcrt, Pfmdr1, dhfr, and dhps.
  • Evidence linking climate change directly to antimalarial drug-resistance mutations remains limited.
  • Changing climate may indirectly alter malaria transmission and resistance pressure.
  • Integrated climate, vector, and molecular surveillance is needed for malaria control.

Abstract

Malaria remains a major public health burden in West Africa, where transmission is strongly shaped by climate, vector ecology, and rising antimalarial resistance. This systematic review synthesizes evidence on climate-associated changes in Anopheles species composition and distribution, as well as Plasmodium drug susceptibility and resistance, to clarify how environmental change may influence malaria dynamics in the region. A PRISMA-guided review was conducted across major databases, and eligible studies reporting quantitative data on vector ecology, climate exposures, or molecular resistance markers were appraised and synthesized narratively.The evidence showed that climate variables such as temperature, rainfall, and humidity strongly influence vector abundance and species distribution, with An. gambiae s.s., An. coluzzii, An. arabiensis, and An. funestus dominating different ecological zones. The review also found persistent resistance markers, including Pfcrt, Pfmdr1, dhfr, dhps, and limited monitoring of Pfk13, while direct evidence linking climate change to drug-resistance mutations remained absent. Climate change is reshaping malaria ecology in West Africa and may indirectly intensify resistance pressure through altered transmission, underscoring the need for integrated climate, vector, and molecular surveillance.

Keywords: Malaria, West Africa, Climate change, Anopheles, Drug resistance, and Systematic review

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How to cite this article

Ayoade, B. O., Agida, O. D., Abah, M. A., Abimbola, M. O., & Ifeanyi, F. C. (2026). Climate-driven shifts in malaria vector species composition and Plasmodium drug susceptibility in West Africa: A systematic review. Microbial Science Archives, 6(3), 92–103. https://doi.org/10.47587/MSA.2026.6303

 

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