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Scientists have discovered an insect that lives inside the guts of mosquitoes and protects them from malaria.
The researchers said the microbe, which lives in about 5 percent of mosquitoes on the shores of Lake Victoria in Kenya, could also prevent insects from transmitting the disease to humans.
Malaria is transmitted through the bite of infected mosquitoes, so finding a way to prevent insects from spreading the disease could also protect people.
The malaria-blocking insect, Microsporidia MB, was found to live in the gut and genitalia of mosquitoes studied by a team from the University of Glasgow and the International Center for Insect Physiology and Ecology (Icipe) in Kenya.
The researchers speculated that the bug may be preparing the mosquito’s immune system to fight the malaria parasite, or it could be having an effect on the insect’s metabolism, making it inhospitable for the malaria parasite.
Dr. Jeremy Herren, who led the research, told the BBC: “The data we have so far suggests that it is a 100% block, it is a very serious block to malaria.”
Scientists have discovered an insect that lives inside the guts of mosquitoes and protects them from malaria.
Malaria kills more than 400,000 people each year, and most of them are children under the age of five.
Around 250,000 of these deaths occur in Africa. The disease is caused by a parasite called Plasmodium, of which five cause malaria.
When an infected mosquito bites a person, the parasite enters their bloodstream.
Symptoms include fever, feeling hot and chills, headaches, vomiting, and muscle pain.
However, the latest advance could provide a powerful new weapon in a fight against disease.
Laboratory experiments confirmed that the microsporidia microbe gave Kenyan mosquitoes protection against malaria.
Not a single mosquito carrying the insect was found to harbor the malaria parasite.
While most microsporidia, which are or are closely related to fungi, are parasites, this newly discovered species may benefit the mosquito.
It was found naturally in one in 20 of the insects studied.
Encouragingly, the blocking effect of malaria is also long-lasting because Microsporidia MB infections appear to last a lifetime in mosquitoes.
However, at least 40 percent of mosquitoes in any area would need to be infected with the insect to significantly fight malaria.
The researchers, who published their findings in the journal Nature Communications, are now investigating ways to increase the number of mosquitoes infected with Microspordia MB.
The malaria-blocking insect, Microsporidia MB, was found to live in the gut and genitals of mosquitoes studied by a team from the University of Glasgow and the International Center for Insect Physiology and Ecology (Icipe) in Kenya
Because the insect is found in the guts of mosquitoes, it is possible to introduce it to a larger population of insects by growing spores and putting them in sugar that mosquitoes would eat.
‘It is a new discovery. We are very excited about its potential for malaria control. It has enormous potential, ” Professor Steven Simkins of the MRC-University of Glasgow Virus Research Center told the BBC.
The concept of using microbes to fight mosquito-borne diseases is unprecedented.
A type of bacteria called Wolbachia was found by scientists at the universities of Glasgow and Melbourne to make it difficult for mosquitoes to spread dengue fever. .
The scientists injected a strain of Wolbachia into laboratory-bred mosquitoes, before releasing them around Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.
When mosquitoes reproduce, they produce young that also carry Wolbachia. Dengue bacteria fight to compete and survive.
The results of the trial showed that the technique helped reduce human cases of severe infection by 40 percent over the course of about a year.
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