Anopheles stephensi
Anopheles stephensi is a type of mosquito that can become infected by Plasmodium, parasitic protozoans that causes malaria in humans.
This Collection highlighted two different ways to get A. stephensi to resist infection by Plasmodium strains. First, George Dimopoulos’s team at Johns Hopkins University created a genetically-modified mosquito by triggering a certain protein (Rel2) to boost the bug’s immunity when it drank blood. The results showed that his genetic trigger worked: Rel2 increased after feeding, and there was significantly fewer sporozites in the genetically-modified insect’s saliva compared to the controls 14 days after being infected with Plasmodium.
In a second study, led by Anthony James at UC Irvine, the group showed that by introducing new genes that coded for immune system components from both mosquitoes and mice, they could create a transgenic insect that was resistant to the Plasmodium parasite.
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