Anopheles stephensiWIKIMEDIA, CDCTwo papers published today (November 27) in Science announce the completion and preliminary analyses of the genomic sequences of 16 species of mosquitoes, including those that are vectors for the malaria parasite. The sequences, which are around 200 million base pairs each, reveal that mosquitoes are rapidly evolving, exhibiting high degrees of gene gains, losses, shuffling, and even transmission between closely related species.
“Both papers provide really powerful information on the evolution of different malaria mosquito species,” wrote James Logan of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in an e-mail to The Scientist. “Comparisons between the [species] are likely to reveal the reason why some mosquitoes are better at transmitting malaria than others, [which is] vital for the future control of malaria,” he added.
Each year, there are hundreds of millions of cases of malaria globally that cause hundreds of thousands of deaths. In 2002, as part of an ongoing effort to understand mosquito biology and ultimately reduce disease transmission, the genome sequence of Anopheles gambiae—the major malaria vector of sub-Saharan Africa—was published.
“Having one genome is a great start, but it’s not enough,” said Nora ...
