Genetically engineered bacteria—spread by mosquito sex—could spell the end of malaria

Scientists spent ten years developing the special bug.

By Ellen Airhart September 29, 2017

 

The mosquito micro biome influences what parasites take hold.   The mosquito is a delicate insect, with spindly legs and a graceful proboscis. The parasitic, single-celled organisms that spread malaria are even smaller and more fragile, and scientists are trying their hardest to remove them from the planet. More than 400,000 lives every year are at stake—that’s more people than die of international terrorist attacks, lightening strikes and shark attacks combined.

 

Part of the solution may lie with genetically modified Serratia, bacteria sometimes found in showers and toilet bowls. Scientists have created a strain of the microbe that blocks the malarial parasite. And as a critical bonus, it can spread by itself through mosquito populations.........To Read More.....