How important this discovery is?
“The data we have so far suggest it is 100% blockage, it’s a very severe blockage of malaria,” Dr Jeremy Herren, from the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology in Kenya told the BBC.
He added: “It will come as a quite a surprise. I think people will find that a real big breakthrough.”
Every year, Malaria kills more than 400,000 people, most of them children under the age of five. Although considerable progress has been made in the use of bed nets and insecticide spraying of homes, this has stalled in recent years. New methods are required for fighting malaria and this one is widely agreed.
How does the microbe stop malaria?
They still need to work out the fine details. However, Microsporidia MB may be priming the immune system of the mosquito, so it can fight off infections more effectively. Or the presence of the microbe in the insect may have a deep effect on the metabolism of the mosquito, making it inaccessible for the parasite of malaria.
Infections with MB microsporidia seem life-long. If anything, the experiments show that they are getting more severe, so the effect of blocking malaria will be long-lasting.
