Eliminate malaria-carrying mosquitoes
Scientists from Imperial College London in the UK have recently been testing a new genetic method that ‘distorts the sex ratio of Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes, the main transmitters of the malaria parasite’, in order to stop female mosquitoes (which bite humans and pass on the disease) from being produced. As reported by the journal Nature Communications, in the first laboratory tests a fully fertile mosquito strain was created, producing offspring that were 95-per-cent male. The modified mosquitoes were then introduced to five caged wild-type mosquito populations, and in four of the five cages, the entire population was eliminated within six generations, due to a lack of females. It is hoped that, if this method could be recreated in the wild, it would ultimately result in a significant reduction of the malaria-carrying mosquito population.
Although global malaria mortality rates have been reduced by 42 per cent since 2000, the disease is still a major killer, particularly in areas of sub-Saharan Africa. “Malaria is debilitating and often fatal,” said Professor Andrea Crisanti, from Imperial College London’s Department of Life Sciences, “and we need to find new ways of tackling it. We think our innovative approach is a huge step forward. For the very first time, we have been able to inhibit the population of female offspring in the laboratory and this provides a new means to eliminate the disease.” Another lead researcher, Dr Nikolai Windbichler, elaborated: “What is most promising about our results is that they are self-sustaining. Once modified mosquitoes are introduced, males will start to produce mainly sons, and their sons will do the same, so essentially the mosquitoes carry out the work for us.”
While it is still early days, as Dr Roberto Galizi said: “I am really hopeful that this new approach could ultimately lead to a cheap and effective way to eliminate malaria from entire regions. Our goal is to enable people to live freely without the threat of this deadly disease.”