“Malaria-Proof Mosquito” Created by Scientists

Parasite that causes the disease cannot infect genetically modified insect, researchers report

A major advance in the fight against one of the world’s most destructive diseases might soon be possible, as scientists say they have created a mosquito that has no ability to pass malaria to humans.

The team of researchers from the University of Arizona reported that their genetically modified mosquitoes harbor immunity to Plasmodium, a single-cell organism which is the causative agent of malaria. In their study, the researchers used the mosquito species called anopheles stephensi, a species that is a key player in the spread of malaria throughout the Indian subcontinent.

According to researchers, there may be a possibility in the future to replace wild mosquitoes with lab-spawned mosquitoes that are not able to infect humans with malaria.

In a news release issued by the university, entomology professor Michael Riehle, who spearheaded the research, said that if you want to halt the transmission of the malaria-causing parasite successfully, “you need mosquitoes that are no less than 100 percent resistant to it. If a single parasite slips through and infects a human, the whole approach will be doomed to fail.”

In their study, Riehle and his team tested their genetically modified mosquitoes by having them feed on blood infested with the malaria-causing parasite. They found that none of the mosquitoes were infected with the disease-causing parasite.

“We were surprised at how well this works,” Riehle said. According to him, they were simply hoping to find some effect on the growth rate of the mosquitoes, their lifespan or their vulnerability to the parasite, they were surprised at how effectively this works, “but it was great to see that our construct blocked the infection process completely,” he added.

Every year, an estimated 250 million people from all over the world get infected with malaria and about one million die from the disease, of whom, majority are children.

The study is published in the July 15 issue of the journal PLoS Pathogens.

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