Mosquito News and Research

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Researchers find link between genetic molecules in mosquitos and dengue fever

Researchers at the University of Missouri have found a link between genetic molecules in mosquitos and dengue fever.

25 Jan 2018

Scientists methodically identify genes related to blood feeding and non-biting mosquitoes

Researchers have taken the first step on a path that eventually could result in female mosquitoes that no longer bite and spread diseases.

19 Jan 2018

Toothpaste ingredient could be employed as anti-malarial drug against drug-resistant parasites

An ingredient commonly found in toothpaste could be employed as an anti-malarial drug against strains of malaria parasite that have grown resistant to one of the currently-used drugs.

19 Jan 2018

Study reveals how dengue virus replicates without triggering the body's defenses

A new study reveals how dengue virus manages to reproduce itself in an infected person without triggering the body's normal defenses. Duke researchers report that dengue pulls off this hoax by co-opting a specialized structure within host cells for its own purposes, like a lazy roommate sneaking bits of his laundry into the communal wash.

11 Jan 2018

Research reveals how Zika virus infection spurs fetal demise

A powerful antiviral protein may act as a checkpoint for keeping or ending a pregnancy.

5 Jan 2018

Genetic changes help mosquitoes to develop pesticide resistance

For decades, chemical pesticides have been the most important way of controlling insects like the Anopheles mosquito species that spreads malaria to humans.

4 Jan 2018

Zika pandemic remains formidable challenge to medicine and public health, say experts

Since 2016, when Zika was declared by the World Health Organization as a public health emergency of international concern, the virus has become established in more than 80 countries, infected millions of people, and left many babies with birth defects (collectively called congenital Zika syndrome).

22 Dec 2017

IU scientists discover way to make drug treatment more successful against malaria

Indiana University School of Medicine researchers have identified a way to block the ability of parasites that cause malaria to shield themselves against drug treatments in infected mice--a finding that could lead to the development of new approaches to combat this deadly disease in humans.

14 Dec 2017

Mosquito-infected monkeys may provide better understanding of Zika transmission routes

Monkeys who catch Zika virus through bites from infected mosquitoes develop infections that look like human Zika cases, and may help researchers understand the many ways Zika can be transmitted.

14 Dec 2017

New insights into mosquito sex protein could provide strategies to control diseases

If you thought the sex lives of humans were complicated, consider the case of the female Aedes aegypti mosquito, bringer of Zika, dengue, and yellow fever: She mates but once, in seconds and on the wing, with one lucky male; spurns all further advances from other potential suitors; and stores enough sperm from that single encounter to lay more than 500 eggs, which she nourishes with the blood of human hosts.

13 Dec 2017

Texas Biomed scientists develop new animal model that mimics key features of Zika infection

An alternative animal model that mimics key features of the Zika virus infection, including its lingering presence in bodily fluids, has been developed at Texas Biomedical Research Institute in San Antonio.

12 Dec 2017

Dengue vaccine issues in the Philippines

The Dengue virus has been difficult to control in the Philippines, and the country has been attempting to immunize its children with the new dengue vaccine Dengvaxia since January 2016.

11 Dec 2017

Common fungus has significant impact on mosquitoes' ability to transmit dengue virus

A species of fungus that lives in the gut of some Aedes aegypti mosquitoes increases the ability of dengue virus to survive in the insects, according to a study from researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

7 Dec 2017

New genetic study of mosquitoes demonstrates movement of insecticide resistance across Africa

The largest ever genetic study of mosquitoes reveals the movement of insecticide resistance between different regions of Africa and finds several rapidly evolving insecticide resistance genes. Reported today) in Nature, this genetic resource will be used to develop new tools for monitoring resistance and managing insecticide use, and for designing novel control methods.

29 Nov 2017

Heavy rainfall can help predict mosquito-borne virus outbreaks

A new study demonstrates that outbreaks of mosquito-borne viruses Zika and Chikungunya generally occur about three weeks after heavy rainfall.

22 Nov 2017

CRISPR shows potential to reduce diseases spread by mosquitoes

Research at the University of California, Riverside, have shown that it is possible for transgenic mosquitos to stably express the Cas9 enzyme in their germline. Cas9 addition will allow the utilization of the CRISPR gene editing tool to carry out efficient and highly targeted changes to the DNA of the mosquitoes.

16 Nov 2017

UTEP researchers one step closer to developing effective vaccine for cutaneous leishmaniasis

A research team at The University of Texas at El Paso is one step closer to developing an effective human vaccine for cutaneous leishmaniasis, a tropical disease found in Texas and Oklahoma, and affecting some U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan and Iraq.

15 Nov 2017

UCR researchers develop transgenic mosquitoes to help reduce spread of infectious diseases

Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have developed transgenic mosquitoes that stably express the Cas9 enzyme in their germline. The addition of Cas9 will enable the use of the CRISPR gene editing tool to make efficient, targeted changes to the mosquitoes' DNA.

14 Nov 2017

Mosquito control using special bacteria infected mosquitoes approved by the EPA

The Environmental Protection Agency has now approved the use of special mosquitoes that have been infected with bacteria called Wolbachia for eradication of mosquitoes in 20 states and District of Columbia. This approach is known as the use of “biopesticide”. Now mosquitoes that spread viral illnesses like Dengue, Chikungunya, Zika etc. would be controlled effectively.

9 Nov 2017

Malaria parasites’ decision making influenced by fatty molecule in human blood

Depletion of a fatty molecule in human blood propels malaria parasites to stop replicating and causing illness in people and instead to jump ship to mosquitoes to continue the transmission cycle, according to a new study by an international research team.