Malaria Gene "Defends Mosquitoes"

A gene may explain why mosquitoes do not develop malaria even though they carry the disease, say US scientists. Female mosquitoes become infected with the malaria parasite when they draw blood from humans with malaria. The insects can then pass this on to other humans they bite, but do not get sick themselves. The Johns Hopkins University team believe a gene called SPRN6 enables a mosquito to defend itself - a discovery that could help fight human infection. Scientist Dr Marcelo Jacobs-Lorena told Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: "More research is needed, but we plan to apply this knowledge in the development of new approaches to control the disease." The scientists hope to develop chemical sprays that would enhance the switching on of the SPRN6 gene in infected mosquitoes. These mosquitoes would no longer be a real threat to humans when biting them, because they would not transmit the malaria parasite Plasmodium, they believe.