[ad_1]
Thanks to genetic modification, researchers have armed the mushroom Metarhizium pingshaense, which is a natural pathogen for mosquitoes that carry malaria. Trials conducted in a near-natural confined environment showed that the fungus successfully suppressed an anopheles mosquito population carrying malaria.
Write in Science, Brian Lovett, PhD student in the Department of Entomology at the University of Maryland, and her colleagues explained that Mr. pingshaense effectively releases toxins that kill mosquitoes Anopheles mosquito species that have developed resistance to insecticides.
"The application of Metarhizium Spores inside traditional Tanzanian houses have reduced the number of infectious bites, but the low virulence of the pathogen (slow death and high inoculum load) and its low persistence have prevented any protection, "Lovett wrote. and his colleagues. "To address these shortcomings, we have developed a range of Metarhizium pingshaense (Mp-hybrid). "
In the laboratory, mosquitoes were killed more quickly using lower spore doses with Mp-Hybrid as opposed to wild-type. Mr. pingshaense As a result of these experiments, the researchers conducted a field trial in Burkina Faso, an endemic country with endemic malaria, which reported more than 7.9 million malaria cases in 2017. This study Operation was carried out with the help of what they called the "MosquitoSphere" – almost natural complete environment with animals, huts, plants and breeding sites made of plastic sheets buried in the floor – all enclosed in a greenhouse frame with mosquito net walls.
"Based on previous studies, we found that the suspension Metarhizium locally produced sesame oil and spreading the suspension on black cotton sheets allow
A long-term effect on the sphere. These sheets provide a resting area for mosquitoes that have had the blood meal of calves in the huts, "wrote Lovett and his colleagues.
Lovett and his colleagues said the artificial fungus had infected nearly 75% of insect-resistant wild mosquitoes, resulting in a "collapse" of the population within 45 days.
"Our results show that the increased virulence of Mp-Hybrid and the low inoculum load resulted in a product that is stronger and easier to use than the [wild-type] fungus in an environment where malaria is endemic, "wrote Lovett and colleagues. "This discovery, coupled with the sharp reduction in the propensity to feed the blood of Mp-Hybrid-infected mosquitoes, means that Mp-Hybrid could affect malaria transmission in a wider range of lethal, pre-mortal, and generational conditions than unmodified diseases. Metarhizium. " – by Marley Ghizzone
Disclosures: The authors do not report any relevant financial information.
[ad_2]
Source link
