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A genetically modified fungus that kills malaria-carrying mosquitoes could be a breakthrough in the fight against the disease, say the researchers.
Trials in Burkina Faso showed that a fungus, modified to produce spider toxin, quickly killed a large number of mosquitoes carrying malaria.
In less than 45 days, mosquito populations have been drastically reduced by more than 90%, according to researchers at the University of Maryland and the IRSS research institute in Burkina Faso.
The researchers selected a fungus, Metarhizium pingshaense, which naturally infects mosquitoes that carry malaria. This fungus was then genetically modified to produce a toxin found in the venom of a fungal spider species.
Laboratory tests have shown that the genetically modified fungus kills mosquitoes faster, with fewer spores, than the wild fungus, according to the study published in the journal Science.
The mosquitoes were released in a 6,500 square foot faux village, designed to mimic a real life environment. "The configuration is this: you imitate the natural environment of mosquitoes. You allow them to breed and feed themselves inside to complete their life cycle inside, "said Diabate Abdoulaye, head of the hospital's medical entomology lab. Institute of Health Science Research in Burkina Faso.
Insects left in normal conditions have increased in number, but those living in tent compartments infected with the fungus have fallen rapidly.
The results give hope that new solutions to fight malaria are being prepared, Abdoulaye said. He added that the research was still in its infancy and that it would have to overcome significant regulatory hurdles to be able to be used in a real context.
Global efforts to control the disease have weakened in recent years, hampered by lack of funding and the growing problem of insecticide resistance. In November, the World Health Organization declared that there had been "no significant progress" in reducing malaria cases worldwide between 2015 and 2017.
"In West Africa and mainly in Burkina Faso, we have a lot of problems with insecticide resistance. The conventional tool, the mosquito nets, that we have now … it looks like they've really reached their fundamental protection limit, "added Abdoulaye.
The same approach used in the trials could be repeated elsewhere in Africa, he added. "We strongly believe that it will work because the mechanism and behavior of mosquitoes in the African landscape are pretty much the same," he said.
According to the WHO, more than 400,000 die each year, more than half of them in children under five. In 2017, there were an estimated 219 million cases of malaria in 87 countries.
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