Global Malaria News

Malaria, which claims hundreds of thousands of lives each year -- mainly children and especially in Africa -, is one of the leading causes of death by an infectious agent, the Plasmodium falciparum parasite. In research on malaria, the genetic mutation that causes sickle cell anemia (also known as drepanocytosis), a chronic disease that is often fatal in children under five, caught the attention of the scientific community very early on because it also provides protection against malaria.

Mosquitoes that landed on surfaces coated with the anti-malarial compound atovaquone were completely blocked from developing Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite that causes malaria, according to new research.

The anopheline mosquitoes that carry malaria were present 100 million years ago, new research shows, potentially shedding fresh light on the history of a disease that continues to kill more than 400,000 people annually.

Scientists have developed a novel way with genome sequences to study and better understand transmission, treat and ultimately eradicate Plasmodium vivax, the most widespread form of malaria.

Researchers report that they have identified drugs that can reduce mosquito hunger for blood. Because movement of female mosquitoes from human to human -- male mosquitoes do not consume blood -- is the means by which mosquito-borne infections are passed along, researchers have theorized that reducing the frequency with which female mosquitoes feed is one way to lessen the spread of disease.

An international research has found that malaria parasite genomes are shaped by parasite-specific gene families, and that this genome organization strongly correlates with the parasite's virulence. The findings highlight the importance of spatial genome organization in gene regulation and the control of virulence in malaria parasites.

Disrupting two genes involved in the preservation of RNA molecules inhibits the ability of the male form of the malaria parasite to mature and be transmitted from human blood into mosquitoes, interrupting a key stage in the parasite's life-cycle and cutting off an important step in the spread of the disease.

In a context of overuse of insecticides, which leads to the selection of resistant mosquitoes, it is already known that this resistance to insecticides affects interactions between mosquitoes and the pathogens they transmit. Researchers demonstrate that mechanisms of insecticide resistance, observed in Culex quinquefasciatus vector, impact the transmission of West Nile virus.

Wherever possible, researchers should not just focus on mosquito behavior when working to eliminate malaria, but must also consider how humans behave at night when the risk of being bitten by an infected mosquito is highest.

A type of mosquito that transmits malaria has been detected in Ethiopia for the first time, and the discovery has implications for putting more people at risk for malaria in new regions.

Question: Can malaria be transmitted through oral sex? Answer: No. Malaria cannot be sexually transmitted, including oral sex. Malaria is a vector-borne parasite and is transmitted to humans via the bite of an infected mosquito. As the malaria parasite resides in blood, it can also be transmitted via blood transfusion or via donated organs (though most countries […]

Question: If one doesn’t complete the malaria drug being prescribed, and takes multivitamin due to no appetite towards eating and later stop, does this cause the person spitting uncontrollable. Answer: I am not aware of any link between failure to complete a course of malaria medication and excess saliva, nor any link with taking multivitamins. The main […]

 I am working with rural African communities where we are struggling with contamination of farm products with residues from indoor residual spraying (ban on exports) - and are concerned about contamination of humans as well. Stepped up treatment of all persons diagnosed with malaria with AL. How do the mosquitoes get infected by the parasite so that they can infect humans?

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Proposals to fight malaria by 'driving' genes that slow its spread through mosquitoes is a high-risk, high-reward technology that presents a challenge to science journalists, according to a new report aimed at stimulating a fruitful, realistic public discussion of 'post-normal' science and technology.

Scientists have provided, for the first time, evidence which links the ability of red blood cells infected with the malaria parasite to bind to the cells lining the blood vessels of the brain, with the clinical syndrome cerebral malaria.

A vaccine against fatal pregnancy malaria shows promising results in the first tests in humans. The new study has taken a vaccine all the way from discovery of a mechanism through development and production to clinical trials in humans.

A newly discovered protein that is crucial for egg production in mosquitoes opens a possibility for 'mosquito birth control.' The approach might offer a way to reduce mosquito populations in areas of human disease transmission without harming beneficial insects such as honey bees.