Newly Discovered Bacteria in Mosquitoes May Combat Malaria

There may be a new way to combat malaria--and that new way may be through bacteria. Scientists have discovered a new family of bacteria that are common in malaria mosquitoes and are now attempting to use these bacteria in the fight against the disease.

The bacterial family is called Thorselliaceae, as well as the genus Thorsellia. It was first discovered in a Kenyan malaria mosquito and at the time, researchers didn't think it would be so common in malaria mosquitoes in general.

So how can this help with malaria? The first Thorsellia species were isolated from malaria mosquitoes in Kenya and now, species of the genus have been found in malaria mosquitoes from Africa, India, Iron and Brazil in addition to mosquitoes from the United States the spread the West Nile virus. Because the bacteria seems to only be found in disease-carrying mosquitoes, it could potentially be used by researchers. In theory, scientists may be able to modify the bacteria to cause effects that prevent the transmission of disease.

Currently, the researchers are trying to understand the interaction between Thorsellia nad mosquitoes. Thorsellia actually have properties that facilitate mosquito-larvae uptake and survival. The scientists are also focusing on strategies to prevent transmission of malaria parasites by modifying the bacteria.

"We are looking for bacteria that live in the mosquito gut and which grow quickly when the mosquito has taken a blood meal," said Sebastian Hakansson, one of the researchers, in a news release. "The idea is to genetically modify these bacteria to produce substances that stop malaria parasite development."

The findings may give scientists a new way to combat malaria. That said, more investigations need to be undertaken to better understand the bacteria in mosquitoes.

The findings are published in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology.

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