Mosquito immune system 'attacks malaria'

Scientists have discovered how the mosquito immune system attacks the malaria parasite, which could help in preventing the disease in humans.

Scientists from Imperial College London found that the mosquito immune system has the capability to kill between 80 and 90 per cent of the malaria parasite.

The study, which was part-funded by the Wellcome Trust, has led to hopes that new chemical or genetic techniques could be employed to reduce the transmission of malaria to people.

Dr George Christophides, the research leader, said: "Now that we know exactly how [the mosquito] immune system attacks malaria parasites, we need to work out how a small number of parasites manage to evade detection by this system.

"Only a few manage to get past the mosquito's defences, but that's all that's needed for the disease to be transmitted to humans. If we can figure out how some parasites manage to sneak through undetected, hopefully we can find a way to bolster the mosquito's defences to catch them all."

Malaria is transmitted in areas where forty-one percent of the world's population live, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

News brought to you by Global Health TV, covering the issues of health in the developing world