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Mosquitos could be used to fight malaria

HEIDELBERG, Germany, March 29 (UPI) -- German researchers said Monday they have identified genes that control the way mosquitoes respond to the malaria parasite.

The discovery could aid the development of anti-malarial strategies by using a mosquito's own immune system to curb the disease, Nature Science Update reported.

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The parasite that causes malaria, known as Plasmodium, usually goes unnoticed by the mosquito in which it grows. But if the insect is sensitized to detect and attack the intruder, the mosquito would destroy the parasite before it has a chance to spread to humans.

The researchers, at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg, Germany, found a pair of mosquito genes that seem to control the insects' immune response to Plasmodium.

When one gene, called CTL4, is inactivated, the mosquitoes destroy up to 97 percent of the parasites developing inside their bodies. When the other, called LRIM1, is removed, it has the opposite effect: the parasites multiply readily.

The researchers said if chemicals can be found to do this, they could be used as pesticides and sprayed in areas where malaria is common. They also could be soaked onto mosquito nets, offering extra protection to people inside.

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