There might be light at the end of the tunnel for parts of the world with high malaria transmission, as researchers have discovered a microbe in mosquitoes that can block transmission of the infection from insects to people.
Malaria is caused by a group of parasites called Plasmodium species, which is transmitted by female Anopheles mosquitoes. In the study, the authors noted that the microbe, which they named Microsporidia MB, was found in Anopheles mosquitoes. They found that mosquitoes carrying this microbe do not habour the plasmodium parasites.
Furthermore, the study authors also found that the microbe is passed from female Anopheles mosquitoes to their offspring rapidly without causing any harm to the mosquito host. Although this microbe is naturally found in very low levels in malaria-causing mosquitoes, the study authors note that there might be ways to increase the percentage of mosquitoes carrying it, blocking the spread of the disease ultimately. The study was done on the shores of Lake Victoria in Kenya.
Read more at http://www.icipe.org/news/icipe-scientists-discover-malaria-transmission-blocking-microbe-mosquitoes
