Anopheles stephensiWIKIMEDIA, RSABBATINICreating a stable, heritable infection of Wolbachia bacteria in Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes diminishes the insects’ chances of transmitting the human malaria-causing parasite, according to a report published today (May 9) in Science. The results suggest that such modified mosquitoes could contribute to malaria prevention strategies in the future.
“It’s a very nice demonstration that Anopheles genus, the most important disease vector mosquitoes, which haven’t previously been shown to naturally support Wolbachia infections, can indeed do so in a stable inherited manner,” said Steven Sinkins, head of the Mosquitoes & Wolbachia group in the Experimental Medicine division at the University of Oxford, UK, who was not involved in the research. “It’s all very exciting stuff in terms of developing new malaria control strategies.”
Wolbachia are parasites or endosymbionts to many insect species, even some mosquitoes, and in certain cases can protect their hosts from infection by other parasites. This protective feature led researchers to wonder whether Wolbachia might be used to prevent the spread of dangerous human parasites in their insect hosts.
Indeed, it ...
