The opposing concept, zoopotentiation, suggests livestock can increase mosquito populations and malaria transmission. The researchers suggest that the presence of cattle could influence malaria risk because some malaria mosquitoes feed on animals. However, the authors caution that the findings do not establish that cattle directly cause malaria transmission. The study measured malaria prevalence rather than malaria incidence and did not include entomological data to demonstrate how livestock affected mosquito populations. “Having malaria prevalence as the outcome makes it impossible to reach any conclusions about transmission from these findings,” reads part of the report.