Mosquito News and Research

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Texas Biomed awarded $2 million DOD grant to study promising Zika vaccine

The emerging Zika virus is a particular threat to pregnant women. The disease can be transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito and is associated with devastating birth defects, like microcephaly. No approved vaccine against the virus exists.

3 Jun 2019

GM fungus kills 99% of mosquitoes in Malaria-endemic region of Africa

Mosquito populations that are responsible for spreading malaria can be dramatically reduced with a new GM fungus that produces spider toxins.

31 May 2019

Malaria free status for Algeria and Argentina

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared Argentina and Algeria malaria-free in a historic announcement for the two nations.

27 May 2019

Study sheds light on the burden of dengue in Bangladesh

Dengue, also known as dengue fever, is a viral disease transmitted to humans by mosquitoes of the genus Aedes.

24 May 2019

Southern Research team aims to discover new, safer antimalarial medicines

Scientists at Southern Research's Drug Discovery division have joined the fight against malaria through efforts aimed at discovering new drugs and improving the safety and efficacy of current antimalarial medicines.

22 May 2019

New coalition to boost fight against blood-feeding insects

As the incidence of diseases transmitted by ticks and mosquitoes in the U.S. continues to rise, a coordinated and strategic response is needed now more than ever--and a diverse set of organizations are aligning to answer the call.

21 May 2019

Exploring the possibility of a broadly effective dengue vaccine

Dengue is on the rise, with about 20,000 patients dying each year from this mosquito-borne disease, yet despite ongoing efforts a broadly effective dengue vaccine is not available.

15 May 2019

Scientists investigate function of AAPP in mosquito blood feeding

Biting insects use a range of tools when sucking blood from hosts to maximize their chances of a good meal.

13 May 2019

Study reveals how dengue virus replicates in infected cells

The nonstructural protein 1 of the dengue virus interacts with another viral protein called NS4A-2K-4B to enable viral replication, according to a study published May 9 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by Ralf Bartenschlager of the University of Heidelberg, and colleagues.

10 May 2019

Egg yolk precursor protein plays key role in regulating mosquitos’ attraction to humans

Feeding mosquitoes sugar makes them less attracted to humans, a response that is regulated by the protein vitellogenin, according to a study publishing May 9 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Jessica Dittmer, Paolo Gabrieli and colleagues at the Università degli Studi di Pavia in Italy.

10 May 2019

Discovery of small-molecule inhibitors could enable precise control over CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing

The discovery of the first small-molecule inhibitors of the Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 (SpCas9) protein could enable more precise control over CRISPR-Cas9-based genome editing, researchers report May 2 in the journal Cell.

3 May 2019

Study finds significant delays in reporting human cases of West Nile virus

Mount Sinai researchers found significant delays in reporting human cases of West Nile virus, hampering real-time forecasting of the potentially deadly mosquito-borne disease, according to a study in the JAMA Network Open in April.

26 Apr 2019

Reason for DEET's success can be found in mosquito's legs

Many of us slather ourselves in DEET each summer in hopes of avoiding mosquito bites, and it generally works rather well.

25 Apr 2019

Dengue mosquito poses greatest danger of spreading Zika virus in Australia

Researchers at QUT and QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute have found that the dengue fever mosquito common to north and central Queensland poses the greatest danger of spreading the Zika virus in Australia.

23 Apr 2019

Researchers create new small molecules that may combat equine encephalitis viruses

Viruses without a preventative vaccine or treatment option pose a looming threat. But for viruses in this category that have already been weaponized and are recognized as human biothreats by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it's a race to find a cure.

17 Apr 2019

Mass drug administration can offer community-level protection against malaria

Researchers have provided the first evidence that mass drug administration can grant community-level protection against Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum) malaria.

16 Apr 2019

Europe under major threat from vector-borne diseases

Researchers presenting at ECCMID have warned that vector-borne diseases are on the rise and threatening to spread into many parts of Europe.

From ESCMID 15 Apr 2019

Geographical range of vector-borne diseases expands rapidly, shows research

New research presented at this year's European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases in Amsterdam, Netherlands shows that the geographical range of vector-borne diseases such as chikungunya, dengue fever, leishmaniasis, and tick-borne encephalitis is expanding rapidly.

15 Apr 2019

Heavy rains, end of drought could help keep West Nile virus subdued — for now

The end of California's drought, announced last month amid one of the rainiest winters in memory, could offer a surprising benefit: reduced transmission of the mosquito-borne West Nile virus.

12 Apr 2019

Synthetic antibody rapidly prevents Zika infection in mice and non-human primates

A DNA-encoded monoclonal antibody prevents Zika infection in mice and non-human primates, researchers report April 5 in the journal Molecular Therapy.

8 Apr 2019