Mosquito News and Research

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Dengue and chikungunya-carrying mosquitoes spreading to new areas, warn scientists

Scientists behind the first global distribution maps of two species of dengue and chikungunya-carrying mosquitoes warn they are spreading to new areas where they could cause disease.

1 Jul 2015

University of Oklahoma professor finds key mosquito protein for development of new malaria vaccine

A University of Oklahoma professor studying malaria mosquito interaction has discovered a new mosquito protein for the development of a new vaccine that is expected to stop the spread of the disease in areas where it is considered endemic.

30 Jun 2015

Study may help find strategies to control mosquito populations

Every time you put on bug spray this summer, you're launching a strike in the ongoing war between humans and mosquitoes -- one that is rapidly driving the evolution of the pests. Scientists studying mosquitoes in various types of environments in the United States and in Russia found that between 5 and 20 percent of a mosquito population's genome is subject to evolutionary pressures at any given time -- creating a strong signature of local adaptation to environment and humans.

26 Jun 2015

Artificial blood technology may help fight disease-transmitting mosquitoes in resource-limited areas

A "nuisance" is probably one of the nicest things people call mosquitoes. Mosquitoes have been called the deadliest animal on the planet, because of the diseases they spread.

26 Jun 2015

Study finds that Amazon river boats provide first-class ride for dengue mosquitoes

The urban mosquito that carries the dengue fever virus is hitching rides on river boats connecting the Amazonian town of Iquitos, Peru, with rural areas.

17 Jun 2015

Potential mosquito-based malaria vaccine could be a step closer

A promising type of vaccine designed to eradicate malaria by blocking parasite transmission could be a step closer, as a result of experts uncovering new information about the targeted protein.

17 Jun 2015

Researchers locate promising target for potential vaccine against malaria

Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have located a new - and likely more promising, they say - target for a potential vaccine against malaria, a mosquito-borne illness that kills as many as 750,000 people each year.

16 Jun 2015

St. George's University participates in groundbreaking study to tackle mosquito-borne diseases in Grenada

St. George's University recently participated in a groundbreaking feasibility study for an infectious disease surveillance system conducted with a team of researchers and scientists in Grenada.

10 Jun 2015

Designing infectious disease forecasting models to predict dengue epidemics

Dengue viruses are on the move. Spread among humans by mosquitoes, and across geographic boundaries through travel, the virus affects up to an estimated 390 million people every year around the world. In the U.S., recent outbreaks have occurred in Florida, Texas, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. Scientists know one of the best ways to reduce the impact of the disease is to prepare healthcare providers by forecasting epidemics before they happen.

8 Jun 2015

Pennsylvania physicians urge residents to take precautions against bug bites, bee stings

For many people, bug bites and bee stings aren't a big deal beyond a small irritation. But for some, it could mean the start of a painful - possibly long-term or even deadly - experience.

1 Jun 2015

Pennsylvania confirms first 2015 detections of West Nile Virus from mosquito sample

The Pennsylvania Departments of Environmental Protection and Health are reporting the confirmation of the first 2015 detections of West Nile Virus from a mosquito sample that was collected on May 22 in Springettsbury Township, York County and a bird found May 26 in Harris Township, Centre County.

30 May 2015

Sex-determining gene in mosquitoes may help reduce disease transmission

Researchers with the Fralin Life Science Institute at Virginia Tech have identified a gene responsible for sex determination in mosquitoes that can transmit yellow fever, dengue, and chikungunya viruses.

22 May 2015

New research could help predict outbreaks of West Nile virus disease in the U.S.

New research has identified correlations between weather conditions and the occurrence of West Nile virus disease in the United States, raising the possibility of being able to better predict outbreaks.

8 May 2015

NIH-sponsored Phase 1 clinical trial evaluates novel investigational West Nile virus vaccine

A novel investigational West Nile virus vaccine discovered and developed by scientists at the Oregon National Primate Research Center at Oregon Health & Science University is being evaluated in an NIH-sponsored Phase 1, first-in-human, clinical trial at Duke University. Although several early-stage West Nile virus vaccine clinical trials have been completed to date, no human vaccine has been approved for commercial use.

7 May 2015

Researchers reveal potential mode of drug resistance in malaria parasites

Scientists have uncovered a potential mode of parasite drug resistance in malaria infection, according to a report published in The Journal of Experimental Medicine.

5 May 2015

Multicentre study provides hope for malaria therapy with just one dose

Approximately 584,000 people worldwide die of malaria each year. The epidemic strongly associated with poverty claims most of its victims in Africa, where it particularly affects the weakest, children and pregnant women. Current therapies have to be taken over several days to be effective against malaria.

25 Apr 2015

GenVec, Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology sign research collaboration agreement

GenVec, Inc. today announced that it has signed a research collaboration agreement with the Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health.

21 Apr 2015

Purdue researchers identify new class of chemical insecticides to control mosquitoes

Purdue researchers have identified a new class of chemical insecticides that could provide a safer, more selective means of controlling mosquitoes that transmit key infectious diseases such as dengue, yellow fever and elephantiasis.

2 Apr 2015

Study provides insights into climate, social factors that trigger dengue outbreaks

Researchers at Upstate Medical University, in collaboration with a team of international investigators studying dengue fever, have discovered new information on climate drivers of the disease and social risk factors that may be contributing to its spread, according to two scientific papers recently published in BMC Infectious Disease and BMC Public Health, open access, peer-reviewed online journals.

30 Mar 2015

Researchers harness gene editing technique in mosquito that infects people with deadly diseases

Traditionally, to understand how a gene functions, a scientist would breed an organism that lacks that gene - "knocking it out" - then ask how the organism has changed. Are its senses affected? Its behavior?