Mosquito News and Research

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Genome editing tool used to render male mosquitoes infertile and slow disease spread

Mosquitos spread viruses that cause potentially deadly diseases such as Zika, dengue fever and yellow fever. New U.S. Army-funded research uses gene editing to render certain male mosquitoes infertile and slow the spread of these diseases.

24 Aug 2021

Scientists isolate monoclonal antibodies against alphaviruses

A research group has isolated monoclonal antibodies that, in laboratory and animal studies, prohibited infection by alphaviruses.

From Vanderbilt University 24 Aug 2021

New technique boosts the efficacy of future malaria vaccines

A new technique for obtaining pure malaria parasites from infected mosquitos could speed up the development of novel, more powerful malaria vaccinations.

21 Jun 2021

Advanced video microscopy reveals molecular details of malaria invasion

Using cutting-edge video microscopy, researchers have successfully observed the molecular intricacies of how malaria parasites enter red blood cells.

From Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) 17 Jun 2021

Researchers identify new therapeutic targets for flaviviruses

In a recent study, Australian scientists used an original approach to resolve the 3D structure of flaviviruses with an unprecedented level of detail, identifying small molecules known as 'pocket factors' as new therapeutic targets.

2 Jun 2021

Climate change makes future outbreaks of West Nile virus more likely in the UK

Climate change will make outbreaks of West Nile virus more likely in the UK within the next 20-30 years, scientists say. West Nile virus is spread by mosquitoes and has no vaccine. Most people have no symptoms, but it can cause serious neurological disease.

1 Jun 2021

Genetic editing tools stop the spread of Culex mosquitoes

Since the onset of the CRISPR genetic editing revolution, scientists have been working to leverage the technology in the development of gene drives that target pathogen-spreading mosquitoes such as Anopheles and Aedes species, which spread malaria, dengue and other life-threatening diseases.

From UC San Diego 31 May 2021

New drug-like compound designed to stop malaria in its tracks

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute and the Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis have designed a drug-like compound which effectively blocks a critical step in the malaria parasite life cycle and are working to develop this compound into a potential first of its kind malaria treatment.

13 May 2021

Study on AEG12 mosquito protein could lead to therapeutics against deadly viruses

Researchers have found that AEG12, a mosquito protein, strongly suppresses the class of viruses causing dengue, yellow fever, Zika, and West Nile.

11 Mar 2021

Probiotic spray reduced incidence of fire blight in apple flowers

While many celebrate apple blossoms as classic signs of spring, they are also welcoming entry gates for pathogens. Full of nutrients to lure pollinators and promote pollen germination, flowers also attract bacteria like Erwinia amylavora, a pathogen that causes a damaging disease called fire blight.

10 Mar 2021

New gene-drive technologies can help control crop pests

Robust new genetic engineering techniques have given researchers the ability to transform many sectors of global urgency.

From UC San Diego 8 Mar 2021

New method to track how yellow fever mosquito moves through environment

The yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti) is the main vector of deadly diseases like dengue fever, chikungunya, and the Zika virus, which result in hundreds of thousands of deaths worldwide each year.

25 Feb 2021

Study: Role of natural mosquito behavior on malaria transmission

Everyone knows 2 + 2 = 4, but what about mosquitoes plus malaria? Lauren Childs, an assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics at Virginia Tech, says there's an equation for that too.

25 Feb 2021

Vaccine based on virus-like particle could generate antibodies to prevent malaria

An inexpensive, long-lasting and easy-to-administer vaccine against malaria could be a game-changer for millions of people living in countries where the mosquito-borne disease is endemic.

5 Feb 2021

New project on self-deleting gene technology takes aim at mosquito populations

To control mosquito populations and prevent them from transmitting diseases such as malaria, many researchers are pursuing strategies in mosquito genetic engineering. A new Texas A&M AgriLife Research project aims to enable temporary "test runs" of proposed genetic changes in mosquitoes, after which the changes remove themselves from the mosquitoes' genetic code.

29 Dec 2020

Scientists use genomics to track the outbreak of Yellow fever virus in São Paulo

Yellow fever virus is normally confined to the Amazon region, but the virus circulated in the Southeast of Brazil between 2016 and 2018, causing the worst epidemic and epizootic outbreaks there for decades. The Ministry of Health confirmed 2,251 cases of yellow fever in humans and 1,567 cases in monkeys in Brazil between December 2016 and June 2019.

6 Nov 2020

Researchers trace neurons in mosquitoes that sense blood's distinctive flavor

It's one of the world's deadliest animals, and it has a taste for human blood: the mosquito. Mosquitoes spread diseases like malaria, dengue, and yellow fever that kill at least a half a million people each year. Now researchers are learning what humans taste like to mosquitoes, down to the individual neurons that sense blood's distinctive, delectable flavor.

13 Oct 2020