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How mosquito spit could help develop therapies for arboviral diseases

You might guess it'd be tough to extract saliva from a mosquito. And you'd be correct. Yet, because mosquitos spread disease via saliva, it's critical to sample and study.

5 Sep 2024

Mosquito males’ visual and auditory cues reveal new insights for malaria control

A high-pitched buzzing sound in your ear is an unmistakable sign that a female mosquito is out on the hunt -; for they, not males, drink blood. Hearing that tone might make you turn to try to swat the pest. But for a male mosquito, that tone means it's time to mate.

30 Aug 2024

LSHTM receives £2.8m grant to tackle hidden malaria in India

Researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) have been awarded £2.8m to study factors sustaining malaria transmission in an area of India where infections are evading detection.

27 Aug 2024

Mosquitoes detect infrared radiation for host seeking

While a mosquito bite is often no more than a temporary bother, in many parts of the world it can be scary. One mosquito species, Aedes aegypti, spreads the viruses that cause over 100,000,000 cases of dengue, yellow fever, Zika, and other diseases every year. Another, Anopheles gambiae, spreads the parasite that causes malaria. The World Health Organization estimates that malaria alone causes more than 400,000 deaths every year. Indeed, their capacity to transmit disease has earned mosquitoes the title of deadliest animal.

23 Aug 2024

Spatial transcriptomics unlocks malaria's liver stage secrets

For the malaria parasite to reach the blood of its human host, it must first enter the liver, where only a small number of parasites differentiate and replicate for upwards of seven days, making it a bottleneck in the parasite's lifecycle. This bottleneck makes the liver stage an optimal target for effective and long-lasting vaccines against the disease. Using Spatial Transcriptomics and single-cell RNA-sequencing technologies, researchers at Stockholm University have for the first time managed to create a spatio-temporal map of malaria infection in the mouse liver. A study that was recently published in Nature Communications.

21 Aug 2024

Study reveals time-of-day impact on cerebral malaria severity

A discovery by McGill-affiliated researchers could lead to more effective treatment of malaria and other parasitic diseases.

19 Aug 2024

Study suggests mosquitoes as potential vectors for Buruli ulcers in Australia

Researchers find strong evidence suggesting mosquitoes may transmit Mycobacterium ulcerans, the bacteria causing Buruli ulcers, but caution that further study is needed.

15 Aug 2024

Experimental malaria vaccine shows promise in protecting pregnant women

Two National Institutes of Health (NIH)-supported trials of an experimental malaria vaccine in healthy Malian adults found that all three tested regimens were safe.

14 Aug 2024

ANU researchers develop cholesterol-based trojan horse method to target malaria parasites

More than a quarter of Australians over the age of 50 take cholesterol-lowering drugs to prevent heart disease and strokes, but our bodies also need cholesterol to survive.

13 Aug 2024

Olympic games could fuel spread of tropical diseases, warn health experts

Mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue, Zika, and chikungunya could spread via the Olympics to countries where they are not normally prevalent, warn global health experts, as authorities step up disease monitoring in the French capital.

7 Aug 2024

World's first deaths from Oropouche fever recorded in Brazil

The world's first deaths have been recorded from Oropouche fever, caused by a mosquito-borne virus that has spread silently from the Brazilian Amazon rainforest, raising alarm among scientists.

2 Aug 2024

How insecticide resistance in household pests fuels malaria resurgence

For decades, insecticide-treated bed nets and indoor insecticide spraying regimens have been important – and widely successful – treatments against mosquitoes that transmit malaria, a dangerous global disease. Yet these treatments also – for a time – suppressed undesirable household insects like bed bugs, cockroaches and flies.

23 Jul 2024

Obese children infected with dengue appear to be at higher risk of hospitalization

Very overweight children infected with dengue appear to be at higher risk of hospitalization, according to researchers who say more public awareness is needed about the risks of obesity and severe disease.

23 Jul 2024

VA Tech discovers new way to genetically control mosquitoes

Virginia Tech researchers have found a new way to identify genetic targets useful for control of mosquito populations, potentially offering an alternative to insecticides.

23 Jul 2024

Research uncovers dengue’s surprising invasion strategies

Mosquito-borne viral infections once confined to tropical regions are spreading. Dengue virus infects up to 400 million people worldwide each year according to World Health Organization estimates, and no available treatments exist for this disease.

22 Jul 2024

Breakthrough malaria vaccines RTS,S and R21 poised to save thousands of lives

Research paper reviews the efficacy of the first licensed malaria vaccines, RTS,S and R21, highlighting their potential to significantly reduce childhood mortality and discussing future vaccine development strategies.

21 Jul 2024

Exploring the benefits of miniaturizing NGS library preparation

In this interview, Huw Rees, a field application scientist at SPT Labtech, discusses the benefits of miniaturization in NGS library preparation and how using mosquito® can give you more value for your money.

From SPT Labtech 10 Jul 2024

Dengue fever in Taiwan associated with elevated short- and long-term risk of depression

Analysis of the medical records of nearly 50,000 people who experienced dengue fever in Taiwan suggests that this disease is associated with elevated short- and long-term risk of depression.

3 Jul 2024

SRI’s novel injectable formulation aims to provide a better option to fight malaria

SRI today announced that researchers are developing a new treatment that aims to provide a better option to fight malaria, particularly for people in low-income and rural regions.

2 Jul 2024

CRISPR-based genetic technique eradicates malaria mosquitoes with over 99% efficiency

Scientists at the University of California have developed a precision-guided sterile insect technique to eliminate Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes, achieving over 99.5% male sterility and 99.9% female lethality, effectively suppressing malaria transmission.

26 Jun 2024