The deadliest animal in the world is the mosquito. Mosquitos infected 263 million people with malaria in 2023, leading to 600,000 deaths, 80% of which were children. Malaria is caused by infection from Plasmodium parasites. The parasites are transmitted to humans from the bite of infected female mosquitos.
Researchers at the University of California San Diego, Johns Hopkins University, UC Berkeley, and the University of Sāo Paulo have developed a new method that genetically blocks mosquitos from transmitting malaria.
The study was published in the journal Nature. They used gene editing to change a single molecule within mosquitos. The genetically altered mosquitos can still bite people with malaria and can still acquire parasites from their blood, but the parasites can no longer be spread to other people. The switching of one specific amino acid known as L224 with a genetic alternative called Q224 prevents malarial parasites from reaching the salivary glands of the mosquito, thereby preventing the spread of infection. In extensive tests, the researchers found that while the genetic switch disrupted the parasite’s infection capabilities, the mosquitos’ normal growth and reproduction remained unchanged.
The hope is that the replacement of a single amino acid in mosquitoes that prevents them from being infected with malarial parasites is a beneficial trait that can spread throughout a mosquito population. The researchers believe that the trait can be spread across diverse mosquito species and populations and can pave the way for adaptable, real-world strategies to control malaria.
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Stealth Genetic Switch in Mosquitoes Halts Malaria Spread
Photo, posted June 20, 2014, courtesy of John Tann via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio
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