BLACKHERBALS.COM
A New Weapon To Fight Malaria - Mosquitoes
By Steve Connor
Science Editor
The Independent - UK
March 26, 2004
- A new and potentially revolutionary weapon in
the fight against malaria has been developed by scientists who
have found a way of killing the parasite within the mosquitoes
that spread the disease.
-
- Most recent effort against malaria has
concentrated on treating the disease in humans or controlling
mosquito populations, but now scientists have discovered that
parts of the insect's immune system can destroy the malaria
parasite.
-
- The findings open the prospect of a third
front against the disease with the development of a chemical
spray that stops malaria infecting the insect, thereby
preventing transmission to man. Professor Fotis Kafatos of the
European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg, who led the
study, said: "These studies are the first to show the power
of the mosquito's immune system and give us some very real
options for fighting the disease."
-
- Scientists have known for years that some
mosquitoes can carry malaria whilst others do not. The reason,
however, was not known. The scientists found four proteins
produced by the mosquito's immune system that affect the ability
of the malaria parasite, plasmodium, to survive in the insect's
gut and blood system. Two of the proteins stop plasmodium
developing, while the other two allow it to develop normally.
-
- It may be now possible to create genetically
altered malaria-resistant mosquitoes, which could then be
released into the wild to interbreed with existing populations.
Another approach could be to develop a spray that caused wild
mosquitoes to produce more of the parasite-blocking protein.
-
- "We now see a way to potentially stop the
parasite in its tracks," Professor Kafatos said.
-
- © 2004 Independent Digital (UK) Ltd
-
- http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_medical/story.jsp?story=505095
