Chance discovery helps fight against malaria

[muriel_volestrangler]

Scientists at a research facility in Spain, run by the GSK pharmaceutical company, made the discovery after noticing that a colony of mosquitoes being used for drug development had stopped carrying malaria.
...
Further studies revealed that a specific strain of bacteria - TC1 - which is naturally present in the environment, had stopped the development of the malaria parasites in the gut of the mosquitoes.
...
New data published in Science magazine suggests the bacteria can reduce a mosquito's parasite load by up to 73%.

The bacteria works by secreting a small molecule, known as harmane, which inhibits the early stages of the malaria parasite growing in the mosquito's gut.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-66394117

[Baitball Blogger]

1. Science brought us a miracle.

[in2herbs]

2. to add to your comment: and the pharmaceutical company will take it away. nt

[Warpy]

3. Not necessarily

because the main thing limiting human potential in tropical latitudes is malaria. It's nasty and debilitating even if treated by modern medicine. It's also on the move as the planet warms up.

If Big Pharma gets stuffy about protecting profit over people, I think the WHO will step in. It's that important.

There is also a vaccine in the works that is showing a lot of promise.

Attacking the parasite at its origin by creating GM mosquitoes that wouldn't incubate it seems ideal and is infinitely preferable than collapsing their numbers by sterilizing them, something that would have dire implications for the ecosystem. Like it or not, fish stocks and other creatures rely on them for their diets.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

4. It also eliminates the excuse for wide-spread application of poisons.

[Warpy]

5. You'd think so, but people in the suburbs still want their back yard BBQs

If they were smart enough to have them at midday, there wouldn't be as big a problem, but they insist on enjoying the sunset, when the clouds of mosquitoes appear looking for blood. They'd want them all dead and clamor for a resumption of poisons, at least here in the first world.