Malaria is Spreading

Malaria is spread by mosquitoes

Resistance Spread 'Compromising' Fight Against Malaria -- BBC

Scientists have found new evidence that resistance to the front-line treatments for malaria is increasing.

They have confirmed that resistant strains of the malaria parasite on the border between Thailand and Burma, 500 miles (800km) away from previous sites.

Researchers say that the rise of resistance means the effort to eliminate malaria is "seriously compromised".

The details have been published in The Lancet medical journal.

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My Comment: This is not comforting news.

Malaria Passed From Gorillas To Humans

The parasite passes from one human to another via a female Anopheles mosquito which hands it on when the insect takes a blood meal. Hemera

From Discovery News:

The parasite that causes the most lethal strain of malaria among humans crossed the species barrier from gorillas, scientists reported on Wednesday.

Plasmodium falciparum is the deadliest of the five known strains of malaria parasites, causing several hundred million cases each year, of which around a million are fatal.

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Genetically Modified Mosquitos Could Be Used To Spread Vaccine For Malaria

From The Telegraph:

A genetically engineered mosquito that vaccinates as it bites has been developed by scientists.

Experts believe "flying vaccinators" could eventually be a radical new way of tackling malaria.

The new approach targets the salivary gland of the Anopheles mosquito.

Scientists in Japan have engineered an insect producing a natural vaccine protein in its saliva which is injected into the bloodstream when it bites.

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Pulling The 'Mating Plug' May Reduce Mosquito Population And Malaria Rates

A malaria-carrying Anopheles gambiae mosquito. About 40% of the world's population is at risk of malaria, a potentially deadly disease. (CDC / December 26, 2009)

From The L.A. Times:

Scientists find that reproduction fails when they interfere with the enzyme that causes the plug to form. The team hopes the finding can be developed for use in the field.

Interfering in mosquitoes' sex lives could help halt the spread of malaria, British scientists said this week.

A study on the species of mosquito mainly responsible for malaria transmission in Africa, Anopheles gambiae, showed that because these mosquitoes mate only once in their lives, meddling with that process could dramatically cut their numbers.

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Malaria Slows In 1 In 3 Affected Countries

From Time Magazine:

(LONDON) — Malaria cases appear to have been slashed by half in more than a third of countries battling the disease following a renewed push by the United Nations to eradicate it, the World Health Organization said Tuesday.

In a new global report on malaria, the U.N. health agency said it was cautiously optimistic the mosquito-borne disease's spread is slowing, even though its information is patchy and based largely on modeling.

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In A Malaria Hot Spot, Resistance To A Key Drug

From Time Magazine:

Every year, thousands of workers arrive at the sapphire and ruby mines of Pailin, Cambodia, risking their lives to unearth gems in the landmine-ridden territory. Soon, however, they could be the ones to put millions of others at risk. On the Thai-Cambodian border, a rogue strain of malaria has started to resist artemisinin, the only remaining effective drug in the world's arsenal against malaria's most deadly strain, Plasmodium falciparum. For six decades, malaria drugs like chloroquine and mefloquine have fallen impotent in this Southeast Asian border area, allowing stronger strains to spread to Burma, India and Africa. But this time there's no new wonder drug waiting in the wings. "It would be unspeakably dire if resistance formed to artemisinin," says Amir Attaran, a professor of law and medicine at the University of Ottawa who has written extensively on malaria issues.

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New Malaria 'Poses Human Threat'

From The BBC:

An emerging new form of malaria poses a deadly threat to humans, research has shown.

It had been thought the parasite Plasmodium knowlesi infected only monkeys.

But it has recently been found to be widespread in humans in Malaysia, and the latest study confirms that it can kill if not treated quickly.

The work, by an international team, appears in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

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Scientists Report Original Source Of Malaria

UCI's Francisco Ayala and colleagues report in a new study that malignant malaria originates from a parasite found in chimpanzees in equatorial Africa. (Credit: Daniel A. Anderson / University Communications)

From Science Daily:

ScienceDaily (Aug. 4, 2009) — Researchers have identified what they believe is the original source of malignant malaria: a parasite found in chimpanzees in equatorial Africa.

UC Irvine biologist Francisco Ayala and colleagues think the deadly parasite was transmitted to humans from chimpanzees perhaps as recently as 5,000 years ago – and possibly through a single mosquito, genetic analyses indicate. Previously, malaria's origin had been unclear.

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