Health & Medicine
'Good' Mosquito Virus Fights Human Disease, New Study Finds
Rosanna Singh
First Posted: Nov 20, 2015 11:36 AM EST
Researchers have identified a new mosquito-carried virus, known as the Parramatta River virus, which can be used to fight human viruses, according to a collaborated study at the Universities of Queensland and Sydney in Australia.
The new finding could enable scientists to development new ways for preventing outbreaks of mosquito-borne disease, according to Dr. Jody Hobson-Peters, of UQ's School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences.
"Viruses are typically viewed as harmful. This discovery highlights how little we know about mosquitoes and their relationships with pathogens," Hobson-Peters said, in a news release. "Rarely do we consider that some viruses may hold the key to fighting back against human disease."
Thousands of people become sick each year due to mosquito-related viruses. In 2007, the Parramatta River virus was discovered in mosquitoes in a salt mash in Sydney. The Parramatta River virus does not cause any harmful health risks to humans, they only infect mosquitoes, according to the researchers.
"The presence of Parramatta River virus or other similar 'good' viruses in a mosquito may make it harder for the human disease-causing 'bad' viruses to also infect that mosquito, thus stopping disease transmission," Hobson-Peters said.
By examining the mechanics behind mosquito-borne viruses, researchers have a greater chance of preventing outbreaks of mosquito-based diseases. Breeanna McLean, a coauthor of the study developed a new system that effectively screens thousands of mosquitoes that carries the virus.
"It's incredibly exciting that we detected Parramatta River virus using our new virus discovery system," McLean said. "Never before have we been able to assess mosquito populations for novel viruses so easily."
The findings of this study were published in the journal Virology.
Related Articles
Disease-Carrying Mosquito Threatens Human Health In North America
Malaria Parasite: Humans And Apes Share Same Genes Linked With Malaria's Virulence
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
See Now:
NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone
TagsParramatta River virus, Mosquitoes, disease carrying mosquitoes, Mosquito viruses, viruses, Human Health, Human Health, Australia ©2024 ScienceWorldReport.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The window to the world of science news.
More on SCIENCEwr
First Posted: Nov 20, 2015 11:36 AM EST
Researchers have identified a new mosquito-carried virus, known as the Parramatta River virus, which can be used to fight human viruses, according to a collaborated study at the Universities of Queensland and Sydney in Australia.
The new finding could enable scientists to development new ways for preventing outbreaks of mosquito-borne disease, according to Dr. Jody Hobson-Peters, of UQ's School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences.
"Viruses are typically viewed as harmful. This discovery highlights how little we know about mosquitoes and their relationships with pathogens," Hobson-Peters said, in a news release. "Rarely do we consider that some viruses may hold the key to fighting back against human disease."
Thousands of people become sick each year due to mosquito-related viruses. In 2007, the Parramatta River virus was discovered in mosquitoes in a salt mash in Sydney. The Parramatta River virus does not cause any harmful health risks to humans, they only infect mosquitoes, according to the researchers.
"The presence of Parramatta River virus or other similar 'good' viruses in a mosquito may make it harder for the human disease-causing 'bad' viruses to also infect that mosquito, thus stopping disease transmission," Hobson-Peters said.
By examining the mechanics behind mosquito-borne viruses, researchers have a greater chance of preventing outbreaks of mosquito-based diseases. Breeanna McLean, a coauthor of the study developed a new system that effectively screens thousands of mosquitoes that carries the virus.
"It's incredibly exciting that we detected Parramatta River virus using our new virus discovery system," McLean said. "Never before have we been able to assess mosquito populations for novel viruses so easily."
The findings of this study were published in the journal Virology.
Related Articles
Disease-Carrying Mosquito Threatens Human Health In North America
Malaria Parasite: Humans And Apes Share Same Genes Linked With Malaria's Virulence
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone