Mosquito News and Research

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Scientists characterize infection mechanism of Rift Valley fever virus

Rift Valley fever virus, transmitted by mosquitoes, is responsible for outbreaks in livestock in Africa and can also be fatal in humans. Scientists from the Institut Pasteur and the CNRS, working with the University of Göttingen, have characterized the mechanism used by the virus to insert one of its envelope proteins into the host cell membrane, thereby enabling it to infect the cell.

9 Nov 2017

Malaria detection using breath analyzers

Researchers are on the verge of developing a new breath test that could detect malaria. The team from Washington University in St. Louis found that malaria in blood leaves a typical “breathprint” that is unique and can be detected using a breath analyzer test.

6 Nov 2017

Climate change is already affecting health, warn experts

Experts have warned that climate change is already having a significant worldwide impact on people’s health by increasing exposure to heatwaves, pollution and the spread of disease.

1 Nov 2017

Portable scanner can measure limb disfigurement easily in patients with elephantiasis

An estimated 120 million people worldwide are infected with lymphatic filariasis, a parasitic, mosquito-borne disease that can cause major swelling and deformity of the legs, a condition known as elephantiasis.

16 Oct 2017

Zika virus outbreak in Ecuador worsened by El Niño and 2016 earthquake

A Zika virus outbreak in coastal Ecuador in 2016 was likely worsened by a strong El Niño and a magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck the region in April, according to a new study.

12 Oct 2017

New research reveals negative consequences of coffee cultivation in Uganda

New research led by Kelly Austin, associate professor of sociology at Lehigh, explores unequal exchange in the coffee industry. She cites a range of negative consequences that coffee cultivation contributes to, including: malaria vulnerability, decreased participation in schooling, gender inequalities, and environmental degradation in Bududa, Uganda.

11 Oct 2017

TTUHSC El Paso researcher receives $420,000 grant to study mosquito-borne Zika virus

Haoquan Wu, Ph.D., associate professor in the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, has received a two-year, $420,000 grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease to study the mosquito-borne virus Zika.

10 Oct 2017

GW researchers receive NIH award to bring Zika vaccine trial to Brazil

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease of the National Institutes of Health awarded more than $2 million to a research team at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences to facilitate a Zika vaccine trial in Brazil.

9 Oct 2017

Study finds abundant disease-transmitting mosquito species in deforested areas

Most disease-transmitting mosquito species live in deforested areas, a finding that may influence decisions on where and when to cut down trees, a new University of Florida study shows.

9 Oct 2017

GM mosquitoes can have altered microbiota that suppresses human malaria-causing parasites

WHAT: Using genetically modified (GM) mosquitoes to reduce or prevent the spread of infectious diseases is a new but rapidly expanding field of investigation.

30 Sep 2017

New paper-based test can diagnose Zika infection within 20 minutes

MIT researchers have developed a paper-based test that can diagnose Zika infection within 20 minutes. Unlike existing tests, the new diagnostic does not cross-react with Dengue virus, a close relative of the Zika virus that can produce false positives on many Zika tests.

27 Sep 2017

Study: Antibody neutralizes dengue and Zika virus in mice

Brazil and other areas hardest hit by the Zika virus – which can cause babies to be born with abnormally small heads – are also home to dengue virus, which is spread by the same mosquito species.

25 Sep 2017

“Super malaria” resistant to standard medications in South East Asia

The spread of a single multidrug resistant malaria parasite strain in Vietnam is cause for alarm say researchers.

25 Sep 2017

Time spent outdoors impacts risk for contracting Zika virus

When Zika first buzzed into the continental United States during the 2016 outbreak, Florida was hit first--and hardest--with 1,174 documented cases to date. So, when Marco Ajelli, associate research scientist at Northeastern and an expert in infectious disease modeling, wanted to study how time spent outside might affect the spread of the epidemic, he chose to focus on the state's most stricken county: Miami-Dade.

22 Sep 2017

PET imaging helps scientists to study progression of Zika virus infection in mice

For the first time, scientists have used Positron Emission Tomography imaging to study brain inflammation following Zika virus infection in mice, according to a study recently published online in the journal Molecular Imaging and Biology.

19 Sep 2017

Carbohydrates on surface of malaria parasites could be key to effective vaccine

An international research team has shown for the first time that carbohydrates on the surface of malaria parasites play a critical role in malaria's ability to infect mosquito and human hosts.

18 Sep 2017

UF professor suggests steps for controlling mosquitoes after hurricane

Hurricane Irma left a lot of standing water in the yards and homes of Florida residents. So, a University of Florida researcher suggests steps for making sure your home doesn't become a haven for mosquitoes.

15 Sep 2017

Researchers use NASA’s satellite data to forecast malaria outbreaks

In the Amazon Rainforest, few animals are as dangerous to humans as mosquitos that transmit malaria. The tropical disease can bring on high fever, headaches, and chills and is particularly severe for children and the elderly and can cause complications for pregnant women.

13 Sep 2017

Bacteria in aquatic environment can modulate the ability of adult mosquitoes to transmit human pathogens

Mosquitoes are holometabolous insects (i.e. organisms that go through a complete metamorphosis). As such, they occupy two main habitats during their life cycle.

7 Sep 2017

Novel compounds found to be highly effective in preventing transmission of malaria parasites

Significant headway has been made in controlling malaria. However, two vexing problems remain: currently available treatments are unable to block transmission of the parasite that causes the disease, and the parasite often becomes resistant to drugs.

7 Sep 2017