Malaria

A new technology developed at Imperial College London could give one of our most promising malaria vaccine candidates a huge boost, by streamlining the development process through the use of what are described as "mosquito smoothies."

There are already places where homes are built on stilts, to avoid seasonal floods. A new study, however, suggests that doing so may also significantly reduce the risk of being bitten by malaria-carrying mosquitos.

New findings are indicating a commonly used herbicide appears to weaken the immune systems of insects. One mosquito experiment suggests the chemical can amplify insect susceptibility to parasitic infection, possibly increasing malaria transmission.

Results from a trial testing a new malaria vaccine have revealed an impressive 77 percent efficacy, higher than any prior vaccine trialled. The vaccine is the first to reach a WHO goal of at least 75 percent efficacy and a larger trial is now underway.

Researchers at the Burnet Institute have examined the potential to attack malaria infection before it gets to the liver – as soon as it enters the bloodstream from a mosquito bite – and they've identified an important mechanism for vaccines to target.

It can be difficult to determine if someone has malaria – enough so, that many people who don't even have the disease end up being treated for it. A new technique, however, could make diagnosis much easier and more reliable.

Genetic engineering has been proposed as a way to deal with the deadly mosquito, and a new project by Texas A&M AgriLife Research is looking to enable risk-free "test runs" of such genetic changes that are automatically deleted after a period of time.

Engineers at Rice University have designed a new bandage-like microneedle device that could greatly improve access to malaria testing, with the ability to detect key markers of the disease without drawing any blood at all.

A type of volcanic glass, perlite is frequently used as building insulation or a potting soil additive. According to a new study, though, it also works quite well at killing malaria-causing mosquitos.

Several years ago, we heard how scientists were looking at eradicating malaria-carrying mosquitoes by making the females infertile. Now they're going a step further, by eliminating the females altogether.

A newly discovered microbe identified in wild mosquito populations in Kenya has been found to protect the insects from malaria infection and could be recruited for malaria control strategies to limit transmission of the disease into human populations.

Genetic studies of the West African mosquitoes Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles coluzzii show that binding proteins on the insects' legs help them to avoid bed nets that have been treated with mosquito-killing chemicals.