Global Malaria News

Malaria parasites know good times from bad and plan their offspring accordingly, scientists have found, in a development that could inform new treatments.

A balanced production of pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines at two years of age protects against clinical malaria in early childhood, according to a new study. The results also indicated that early exposure to the parasite does not affect the risk of developing the disease, although it could affect the parasite-specific immune response later in life.

Mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles are well known as primary vectors of malaria. But a new study suggests that Anopheles species, including some found in the United States, also are capable of carrying and transmitting an emerging pathogen, Mayaro virus, which has caused outbreaks of disease in South America and the Caribbean.

A new study shows for the first time the impact that climate change is having on the rate in which mosquitoes diversify, and what this might mean for human health in the future.

As the global battle against malaria stalls, scientists may be adding a novel tool to the fight: sniffer dogs. In recent tests trained sniffer dogs successfully diagnosed malaria infections simply by sniffing samples from socks worn briefly by children from a malaria endemic area of West Africa, according to a new study.

Thanks to an innovative mosquito control approach, residents in several Maryland neighborhoods reduced populations of invasive Asian tiger mosquitoes by an impressive 76 percent, on average.

Scientists investigating how the human immune system defends against malaria have uncovered a rare phenomenon: antibodies working together to bind to a vulnerable spot on the parasite.

To be able to reproduce and become effective disease carriers, mosquitoes must first attain optimal body size and nutritional status. A pair of researchers have succeeded in using CRISPR-Cas9, a powerful tool for altering DNA sequences and modifying gene function, to decrease mosquito body size, moving the research one step closer to eliminating mosquitoes that carry dengue fever and Zika virus.

Host decoy traps which mimic humans or cattle by combining odor, heat and a conspicuous visual stimulus could be effective at measuring and controlling outdoor-biting mosquitoes in malaria endemic regions.

An insulin-binding protein in fruit flies could provide new opportunities for tackling disease-carrying mosquitoes, such as malaria and yellow fever.

New research shows how the cyto-adhesion of plasmodium-infected red blood cells is enhanced at febrile temperatures.

Researchers have documented the permissible limits of a number of chemicals that are often part of anti-malarial efficacy tests. Their results provide a previously undetermined dataset on drug reconstitution conditions at which both the red cell integrity and plasmodium growth and proliferation are not compromised.

Scientists have been trying to develop a vaccine that prevents mosquitoes from spreading malaria among humans. This unique approach -- in which immunized humans transfer anti-malarial proteins to mosquitoes when bitten -- is called a transmission-blocking vaccine (TBV). A new biotech advancement moves us closer to this goal.

Malaria-infected red blood cells trigger the immune system's first line of defense by releasing small vesicles that activate a pathogen recognition receptor called MDA5, according to a new study.

A discovery may open up new ways to control steroid hormone-mediated processes, including growth and development in insects, and sexual maturation, immunity, and cancer progression in humans.

Malaria parasites have evolved to be most infectious at the time of day when mosquitoes feed, to maximize their chances of being spread.

Since December 2016, Brazil has been grappling with its worst yellow fever outbreak for several decades. Research has now demonstrated that the yellow fever virus can be transmitted via Aedes albopictus, the tiger mosquito. This opportunistic species is capable of colonizing both urban and forest areas.

Researchers have discovered a way to halt the invasion of the toxoplasmosis-causing parasite into cells, depriving the parasite of a key factor necessary for its growth. The findings are a key step in getting closer to a vaccine to protect pregnant women from the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, which carries a serious risk of miscarriage or birth defects.

Researchers have eliminated caged mosquitoes using 'gene drive' technology to spread a genetic modification that blocks female reproduction.

Scientists have found a way to boost the efficacy of the antimalarial drug artemesinin with the help of chemotherapy medicines. Artemisinin works through a 'double whammy' attack on the deadly parasite. The drug damages proteins in malaria parasites and clogs the parasite's waste disposal system, known as the proteasome, which chemo can target.