Wolbachia are bacteria that infect many insects, including mosquitoes. However, Wolbachia do not naturally infect Anopheles mosquitoes, which are the type that spreads malaria to humans. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that artificial infection with different Wolbachia strains can significantly reduce levels of the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium … [Read more...]
Researchers Find Gene That Fights Severe Malaria in Children
Scientists have discovered a genetic variant in children that significantly reduces their risk of developing a life-threatening form of malaria. Children with the unusual, or variant, gene have a 30 percent lower risk of developing cerebral malaria than those without the gene. Cerebral malaria is the most serious form of the parasitic illness that causes very high fever and coma, and leads … [Read more...]
Research Could Lead to Mosquitoes Being Susceptible to Diseases They Transmit
Mosquitoes are becoming more resistant to current pesticides. That's troubling to Kansas State University biologist Kristin Michel, as it means malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases will continue spreading. A recent grant from the National Institutes of Health may change all that. Michel, an assistant professor of biology, is using the nearly $1.5 million grant for the four-year study, "The … [Read more...]
Researchers Discover Microbe That Could Help Fight Malaria
Researchers have discovered a bacterium in the gut of the Anopheles mosquito which may someday be used to destroy and, therefore, prevent the spread of the disease-causing parasite. The World Health Organization estimates 800,000 people die of malaria each year. The parasite that causes the disease is transmitted by the Anopheles mosquito. After the mosquito feeds on the blood of an … [Read more...]
Equatorial Guinea Reduces Malaria in Children by 57% in Four Years
The Republic of Equatorial Guinea has decreased the prevalence of the malaria parasite in children by 57% in just four years and has increased the number of children protected by bed nets or indoor spraying of insecticides from 4% to 95% in that same period, according to a report by Roll Back Malaria. Research carried out on the Island of Bioko, funded by the government of Equatorial Guinea and … [Read more...]
Researchers Discover Insect Repellent Thousands of Times More Effective than DEET
Imagine an insect repellent that not only is thousands of times more effective than DEET – the active ingredient in most commercial mosquito repellents – but also works against all types of insects, including flies, moths and ants. That possibility has been created by the discovery of a new class of insect repellent made in the laboratory of Vanderbilt Professor of Biological Sciences and … [Read more...]
Malaria-Fighting Plants Under Threat
Researchers warn that East African plants that could cure malaria could disappear before scientists have a chance to study them. The World Health Organization estimates 800,000 people die of malaria each year, most of them young children in Africa. A new book by scientists at the World Agroforestry Centre, "Common Antimalarial Trees and Shrubs of East Africa," identifies 22 tree and shrub … [Read more...]
Principles of Magnetic Levitation and Cell Phone Technology to Be Studied for Malaria Diagnosis Tools
The Gates Foundation has funded a project at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) that uses the principles of magnetic levitation and cell phone technology to create an inexpensive, portable device to quickly and accurately diagnose malaria outside of the laboratory setting. The GCE received more than 2,500 grant submissions from 100 countries, and selected 88 projects, including that … [Read more...]
U.S. Investments to Battle Malaria Show Results
Progress against Malaria is one area where U.S. investments in global health have made an great impact. Just five years ago, it was estimated that malaria killed nearly one million children annually in sub-Saharan Africa. The economic cost to the continent was estimated to be nearly $30 billion each year in lost productivity. "Today, the U.S. along with its partners have helped cut malaria … [Read more...]
Bioengineered Antibiotic Could Lead to Improved Malaria Therapy
A natural antibiotic long known for its power to fight bacteria, viruses and tumors has recently shown strength against malaria, but its extreme toxicity has impeded its use in medicine. However, a bioengineering breakthrough has opened a new avenue in the global battle against malaria. Scientists at Oregon State University have engineered several new versions of the antibiotic pactamycin … [Read more...]