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Scientists have discovered a microbe that completely protects mosquitoes from being infected with malaria. The team in Kenya and the UK say the finding has "enormous potential" to control the disease.
Malaria is spread by the bite of infected mosquitoes, so protecting them could in turn protect people.
The researchers are now investigating whether they can release infected mosquitoes into the wild, or use spores to suppress the disease.
[...] "It's a new discovery. We are very excited by its potential for malaria control. It has enormous potential," Prof Steven Sinkins, from the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, told the BBC.
This concept of disease control using microbes is not unprecedented. A type of bacteria called Wolbachia has been shown to make it harder for mosquitoes to spread dengue fever in real-world trials.
The scientists need to understand how the microbe spreads, so they plan to perform more tests in Kenya.
However, these approaches are relatively uncontroversial as the species is already found in wild mosquitoes and is not introducing something new.
It also would not kill the mosquitoes, so would not have an impact on ecosystems that are dependent on them as food. This is part of other strategies like a killer fungus that can almost completely collapse mosquito populations in weeks.
Journal Reference
Herren, J.K., Mbaisi, L., Mararo, E. et al. A microsporidian impairs Plasmodium falciparum transmission in Anopheles arabiensis mosquitoes, Nat Commun 11, 2187 (2020) (DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16121-y)
(Score: 2) by calmond on Tuesday May 05 2020, @02:46PM (3 children)
I remember when I learned that not all mosquitoes bite humans. It came as quite a surprise, and it definitely opens up some possibilities for selective eradication. I wouldn't want to eliminate an entire species for our convenience, but a small sub population is a different matter.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 05 2020, @03:15PM (2 children)
I've learned that not all humans are criminals, but a small sub population. I wouldn't want to eliminate all humans, but a small sub population is a different matter.
Problem is finding that distinction, no? Just like finding a vaccine ... "just" finding it, so easy! Oh wait ....
Also you should learn that mosquitoes that bite humans, don't only bite humans.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 05 2020, @03:19PM
Here's how you find vaccines: inject bleach it does quite a number on the lungs in only one minute. It's the new Rik Roll'd!
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Wednesday May 06 2020, @02:38AM
Blood-sucking mosquitoes are a major killer of wildlife. Caribou get bitten enough to both become anemic and get so much swelling in the nasal passages that they suffocate. Mosquitoes transmit heartworm, which affects not only domestic dogs but also wild canids (100% of coyotes tested in Texas were heartworm-positive), reducing their lifespans. Probably plenty of other examples I don't know about. So yea, get rid of the fucking bloodsuckers. There are plenty of mosquito species that don't suck blood, but have been displaced by the invasive vampire types.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.