A Naturally Occurring Bacterium Inhibits Malaria Parasites in the Mosquito

A naturally occurring bacterium renders the mosquito a poor transmitter of the malaria parasite. Transcript Scientists often grow mosquitos in the laboratory and infect them with malaria parasites to test new drugs and explore vector control. Unexpectedly, in a lab run by GSK in Spain, mosquitoes gradually lost the ability to sustain parasite development. To unwind this mystery, GSK turned to Marcelo Jacobs-Lorena, a researcher at Johns Hopkins University and sent him a bacterium they suspected was the blocking agent. The Hopkins team determined that these bacteria produce a substance called harmane – a strong poison to the malaria parasite without affecting the mosquito. Harmane kills the parasite in the mosquito either by ingestion or by contact--when the mosquito lands on a surface with harmane on it. Further experiments determined that this Delftia bacterium colonizes the mosquitoes for life where it suppresses survival of the parasite. Experiments conducted by researchers in Burkina Faso showed that this bacterium can efficiently colonize mosquitoes under conditions that simulate those of the field and that it inhibits locally circulating parasites. This bacterium promises to be developed into a new tool to combat malaria. Source Delftia tsuruhatensis TC1 symbiont suppresses malaria transmission by anopheline mosquitoes About The Podcast The Johns Hopkins Malaria Minute podcast is produced by the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute to highlight impactful malaria research and to share it with the global community.