Biotech Updates

Researchers Use Bacteria to Stop Malaria

May 22, 2013

A research conducted at Michigan State University (MSU) shows that malaria transmission from mosquitoes to humans can be interrupted by the bacteria Woolbachia. The bacteria acts like a vaccine for the insects, protecting them from malaria parasites.

Zhiyong Xi, MSU assistant professor of microbiology and molecular genetics, said "Our work is the first to demonstrate Wolbachia can be stably established in a key malaria vector, the mosquito species Anopheles stephensi, which opens the door to use Wolbachia for malaria control." Xi's team  has successfully demonstrated how Woolbachia is carried by the malaria mosquito vector and how the insects spread the bacteria throughout the mosquito population. The researchers also showed that the bacteria can prevent mosquitoes from transmitting malaria parasites to humans.

For more details, read the news release available at http://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2013/using-bacteria-to-stop-malaria/.