Scientists at the University of California, USA, have developed a precision-guided sterile insect technique to eliminate the primary African malaria vector, Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes, and subsequently reduce malaria transmission. The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) . Study: Eliminating malaria vectors with precision-guided sterile males .
Image Credit: RealityImages / Shutterstock Malaria is a life-threatening parasitic disease that spreads to humans through mosquito biting. According to the 2022 World Health Organization (WHO) factsheet, there were an estimated 249 million malaria cases and 608,000 malaria deaths across 85 countries. The widespread distribution of the malaria vaccine has effectively prevented the worst disease outcomes in recent years.
However, disease eradication in the most highly infected regions requires completely eliminating the primary African malaria mosquito vector Anopheles gambiae. Conventional methods, including insecticide-based technologies and environmental controls, are becoming less effective because of the faster emergence of drug-resistant mosquito populations. This highlights the need for developing novel control measures to break the chain of disease transmission.
The sterile insect technique (SIT) is a promising control measure that acts through the mass releases of infertile males, which naturally locate, copulate with, and sterilize their monandrous (having only one male sexu.
