Researchers have created a tool that could reduce the spread of vector-borne disease — a global health issue that claims the lives of over one million people each year.
The tool, which researchers detailed in a paper for PLOS Biology, is an extensive database known as the Mosquito-Associated Isolate Collection, or MosAIC. Experts can use MosAIC to store information about bacteria and genomes that exist in mosquito microbiomes. With more bacterial data on deck, it's easier to pinpoint bacterial growth and adaptation patterns and understand how bacteria infest and thrive in mosquitoes.
"In the future, the insights gained from this work could lead to the development of much-needed novel ways to harness naturally occurring bacteria to combat mosquito-borne diseases – tackling a critical global health challenge," said Laura Brettell, university fellow at the University of Salford and co-author of the paper, according to the University of Strathclyde.
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Do you worry about getting diseases from bug bites?
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Absolutely 👍 That's quite a feat but a necessary one, considering mosquitoes are more than just pesky critters that interfere with summer barbecues and sunny day adventures.
They can carry and spread numerous diseases, including yellow fever, dengue fever, malaria, and Zika virus. The World Health Organization reports an estimated 390 million infections of the dengue virus every year, affecting people in more than 80 countries.
Rising temperatures stemming from the overheating of the planet create ideal living and breeding conditions for mosquito populations, which seek out warmth and humidity. This makes it challenging to control the spread, especially as northern areas get warmer.
But, combined with other global efforts to tackle the problem, like the sterilization of a dengue-carrying species in Europe, MosAIC could be a promising breakthrough.
"It offers a unique, highly valuable resource for research on bacterial colonization and adaptation within mosquito hosts," said Dr. Eva Heinz from the Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Strathclyde. "Already we have increased the number of mosquito-associated bacterial genomes by more than ten times, from 35 to 392."
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