Standard Operating Procedures

I2I collated a number of ‘best practice’ SOPs for the laboratory and semi-field testing of LLIN and IRS products from global testing sites. The SOPs were reviewed by a panel of independent experts and deliberately un-formatted for easy incorporation into site specific SOP files and adapted to location specific contexts.

This part of the I2I programme ended in 2025. The SOPs available here were not updated after 2024. Up-to-date SOPs can be found at https://vectorbiologymethods.co.uk/.

5th April 2024

SOP: Methods for Performing Calculations and Dilutions

View
A hand wearing a glove holding two test tubes holding mosquitoes horizontally across the image and a net in the background where mosquitoes are resting

12th August 2022

SOP: Spraying with the potter tower

View
Mosquito cages used during IRS campaign in Ethiopia. Mosquito cage on right side of image and a woman in jeans and a sweatshirt on the right side of the image inserting her arm into the cage.

12th August 2022

SOP: IRS Block Preparation

View
IRS sprayer sitting in a green chair wearing protective equipment and speaking with a mother and child outside of a rural home with a thatched roof

11th August 2022

SOP: Cone bioassay of treated blocks

View
Bird's eye view of numerous mosquitoes inside of paper cup covered with transparent netting with a white cotton ball partially inserted into the netting

18th January 2023

SOP: Transportation of mosquitoes

View

18th January 2023

SOP: Scoring mosquitoes after hut IRS

View
Dirt road leading to huts within green foliage

18th January 2023

SOP: Removal of ant infestations from experimental huts

View
Entomological sample storage

4th January 2023

SOP: Preparation of sugar-soaked cotton wool for feeding adult mosquitoes

View
IRS spraying equipment in the corner of a green room with a brown floor and a box with equipment to the right of the image.

12th August 2022

SOP: Preparation of experimental huts for evaluation of IRS

View
Spray campaign in Zimbabwe showing a rural home with a thatched roof on the left and a spray operator in yellow PPE and a woman with a purple head scarf and a man with a baseball cap on the right side and trees in the background and blue sky behind.

12th August 2022

SOP: Indoor residual spraying of experimental huts for evaluation of insecticides

View
IRS spray operator outside house with family during IRS campaign, Ethiopia, 2014

12th August 2022

SOP: Cone bioassay on IRS treated surfaces in experimental huts

View
Mosquito cage showing a black metal frame and netting on all sides with a knot in the netting in the front to close the opening. Numerous mosquitoes are inside.

13th August 2024

SOP: Tunnel Test

View
25 small rectangles of blue net material hung side over white line over three rows. Each is held in place by a small wooden clip and labelled with a small rectangle of white paper.

13th August 2024

SOP: Net washing for laboratory LLIN trials

View
Image of the transparent cone of a cone bioassay against a white board with the narrow opening of the cone in the upper right quadrant plugged with a cotton ball. Five mosquitoes rest on the inside of the walls of the cone.

7th August 2024

SOP: Cone Bioassay

View

5th April 2024

SOP: Methods for Performing Calculations and Dilutions

View
Silver, metal frame cage covered in white netting and secured with rubber bands at the corners with mosquitoes inside

17th August 2023

SOP: WHO wire ball bioassay

View
Open blue pipette tip box in upper left corner of image with dark blue and white pipette without tip lying on a white lab table

17th August 2023

SOP: Extraction of active ingredient (AI) from a treated filter paper

View
Blue bed net material with beige wall behind

17th August 2023

SOP: HPLC quantification of surface and total active ingredient present on an ITN

View
Downward view of mosquitoes resting on the inside of a clear WHO test tube.

17th August 2023

SOP: Net in tube bioassay – pyrethroid-chlorfenapyr nets

View
Sepia coloured microscopy image of two mosquito wings showing alternating dark and light pattern across the top of the wings, and fibers along the bottom edge of the wings against a ruler

17th August 2023

SOP: Dissection and measurement of mosquito wings

View

18th July 2023

SOP: Intrinsic Toxicity

View
Wind tunnel configuration, showing the twin fluid gravity fed venturi nozzle, the baffled opening for air straightening, opening downwind from the point of atomization and at the rear an extraction fan.

18th July 2023

SOP: Wind Tunnel Testing

View
Silver metal circle with red sandpaper at the centre of the circle.

10th May 2023

NIRI SOP: Assessment of Abrasion Resistance of Insecticide-Treated Nets (ITNs)

View
Image of blue netting against a black background with a hole in the bottom centre of the net fabric. A silver ruler at the bottom of the image is laid across the diameter of the hole, showing the hole is 3 cm wide.

10th May 2023

NIRI SOP: Assessment of Hole Enlargement Resistance in Insecticide-Treated Nets (ITNs)

View
Diagram from Figure 1 of Snag Strength NIRI SOP showing a diagonal image of 6 squares with six black loops within each square. An image of a needle is in each of the three left, top squares, each attached to the three loops. A diagonal blue arrow runs from the bottom left of the diagonal grid with the label Wales. A blue arrow runs from top to bottom of the grid labelled Bias. An arrow runs from the bottom right of the grid labelled Courses.

10th May 2023

NIRI SOP: Snag Strength Test for Insecticide-Treated Nets (ITNs)

View
Piece of white mosquito net with dark beige background

14th July 2022

SOP: Methods for monitoring the durability of dual-AI insecticide-treated nets containing a pyrethroid plus pyriproxyfen (PPF)

View
A piece of mosquito net on a beige background

14th July 2022

SOP: Methods for monitoring the durability of dual-AI insecticide-treated nets containing a pyrethroid plus piperonyl butoxide (PBO)

View
Picture of net fabric

14th July 2022

SOP: Methods for monitoring the durability of dual-AI insecticide-treated nets containing a pyrethroid plus chlorfenapyr (CFP)

View
Anopheles gambiae mosquito feeding on a human finger with bright blue background. Mosquito is diagonal and front facing to the camera.

14th July 2022

SOP: Strain characterisation of resistant mosquitoes for monitoring bioefficacy in ITNs treated with two active ingredients (Dual-AI ITNs)

View
Close up picture of bed net fibers

7th July 2022

SOP: Cutting and preserving net samples for chemical analysis

View
Woman holding a rice bowl and wearing a pink hat and grey shirt sitting in house with blue bednet behind her.

25th October 2023

SOP: Experimental hut preparation and running

View
Three mosquitoes resting on the wall of a mesh fabric

17th August 2023

SOP: Ifakara Ambient Chamber Test (I-ACT)

View
Sepia coloured microscopy image of two mosquito wings showing alternating dark and light pattern across the top of the wings, and fibers along the bottom edge of the wings against a ruler

17th August 2023

SOP: Dissection and measurement of mosquito wings

View
Bird's eye view of numerous mosquitoes inside of paper cup covered with transparent netting with a white cotton ball partially inserted into the netting

18th January 2023

SOP: Transportation of mosquitoes

View
Dirt road leading to huts within green foliage

18th January 2023

SOP: Removal of ant infestations from experimental huts

View
Entomological sample storage

4th January 2023

SOP: Preparation of sugar-soaked cotton wool for feeding adult mosquitoes

View
November 2018 spray campaign in Zimbabwe

4th January 2023

SOP: Mosquito collections from experimental huts

View
Net Distribution In Mwanza, Tanzania 2016

7th July 2022

SOP: Net washing for semifield trials

View
Laboratory scientist holds a container of mosquito pupa in the new insectary at Africa University in Mutare, Zimbabwe. Photo by Bridget Higginbotham for USAID/PMI, 2018.

5th April 2024

SOP: Performing Larval Insecticide Bioassays and Larval Susceptibility Testing

View
Mosquito larvae

18th July 2023

SOP: Insect Growth Regulator Larvicides

View
Larvae breeding at Liberia national malaria control program (NMCP) insectary.

18th July 2023

SOP: Bacterial Larvicide Bioassay

View
Community Health Volunteers collecting larvae, Liberia, 2018

18th July 2023

SOP: Field Evaluation of Microbial Mosquito Larvicide Efficacy

View

18th July 2023

SOP: Intrinsic Toxicity

View
Sun shining down on a building in a rural landscape with trees in Zimbabwe

18th July 2023

SOP: Semi-Field Trials: Open Field for Aerial Application

View
Dirt road leading to huts within green foliage

18th July 2023

SOP: Semi-Field Trials: Open Field for Ground Application

View
Picture of a hand entering numbers into a calculator while holding a document

18th July 2023

SOP: Calibration for Aerial Application Equipment

View
Image of hands using a pen to complete a form

18th July 2023

SOP: Calibration for Backpack and Truck-Mounted Sprayers

View
Ugandan landscape showing a dirt road, trees, house and mountain in the distance

18th July 2023

SOP: Operational Field Trials: Ground and Aerial

View