The elimination of malaria-carrying mosquitoes is not expected to affect ecosystems, according to a report

Source: Imperial College London

By combining studies of a mosquito species carrying malaria, the researchers found that no other animal relied solely on them for food

. researchers, suggests that the mosquito can be reduced or even eliminated in local areas without impact on the ecosystem.

The local elimination of this species of mosquito could drastically reduce malaria cases, although the team notes that more research is needed in the field. that the ecosystem is not significantly disturbed.

In 2016, there were about 216 million cases of malaria and about 445,000 deaths, mostly children under five. Many strategies are currently being proposed to eliminate malaria, and a promising solution is to use genetically modified mosquitoes to suppress local populations of mosquitoes.

In sub-Saharan Africa, where the majority of malaria cases occur, only a handful of mosquito species carry malaria among the hundreds present. An international team of researchers led by Imperial Oil, called Target Malaria, is targeting one of these species, Anopheles gambiae with a view to eventual removal from the aid genetic engineering

. need to predict the impact of local suppression An. gambiae . Now, in a report published today in Medical and Veterinary Entomology the team has reviewed previous studies on this mosquito species to see how it fits into the world. # 39; ecosystem.

They found that some animals eat An. Gambiae but those who eat them also eat other species of mosquitoes and other insects, which means that they do not need A. gambiae to survive.

The lead author, Dr. Tilly Collins, of the Center for Environmental Policy at Imperial Oil, said: "As adults, mosquitoes An. Gambiae are small, difficult to catch, They are mobile at night and are not very juicy, so they are not a rewarding prey for insect and vertebrate predators, many eat them, sometimes accidentally, but nothing proves that they make up an important part from the diet of other animals.

"There is a curious jumping spider known as" the vampire spider "who lives in houses around the shores of Lake Victoria and who loves female mosquitoes fed blood. at rest are easy prey and more nutritious when they digest their meal of blood, but this spider will gladly eat other species of mosquitoes available when the opportunity arises. "

L & # 39; The team also examined mosquito larval habitats. lay their eggs in small temporary ponds and puddles away from predators When they are laid in larger ponds, predators that feed on them also eat a lot other things preferentially. An. Gambiae If a species is removed from an ecosystem, it may mean that a competing species – a species that uses a similar food resource, for example – becomes much larger to fill l & # 39; space. [19659004Catcanbecomeaproblemthatitscurrentcurrentresidechallengebadamplehumanhumanissueifferenthumanfever

The team found that other species of mosquitoes are more likely to compensate ] one. gambiae although laboratory studies and field studies, as well as evidence of past killings of mosquitoes eg by insecticide spraying, are not always agreed [19659004]. A study conducted by the University of Ghana and the University of Oxford that will study An. Gambiae in the local environment in Ghana.

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