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British and Kenyan scientists have discovered a microbe that they believe has “enormous potential” for the possible eradication of one of the most feared diseases in the world: malaria.
The study published in the journal Nature Communications states that the microbe completely protects mosquitoes from malaria infection.
The microbe is called Microsporidia MB, and scientists have discovered it inside the intestines and genitals of mosquitoes that live around Lake Victoria in Kenya.
They report that they could not find a single mosquito with the microbe in its guts that the malaria insect carried.
“The data that we have so far suggests that it is a 100% blockade, it is a very serious blockade of malaria,” insect expert Dr. Jeremy Herren told the BBC. “It will be a real surprise. I think people will find this to be a great step forward. “
Experts say they don’t know exactly how the microbe works, but they suspect that it affects the mosquito’s immune system to allow the insect to fight the malaria parasite.
Scientists estimate that about 5% of mosquitoes carry the microbe naturally. The next step for experts is to study ways to get rid of mosquito-infected mosquitoes in the wild.
Malaria, which kills about 400,000 people each year, is spread through mosquito bites. The World Health Organization says that the majority of victims are children under the age of five.
Although measures including mosquito nets and insecticides have led to great progress in the fight against malaria in the past 20 years, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, existing strategies are proving insufficient as mosquitoes develop resistance to some insecticides.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned last month that while the global medical community is focused on fighting coronavirus, some diseases, including malaria, will “roar again” if fewer people are vaccinated due to the lack of attention.
The WHO predicts that the number of deaths from malaria could exceed 769,000 this year.
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