Scientists seek to weaponize new family of bacteria to fight malaria

Date: Feb-17-2015By genetically modifying bacteria that they found to be uniquely associated

with disease-carrying mosquitoes, scientists hope to create a new weapon to prevent

transmission of malaria.

Scientists are investigating how to genetically modify a new family of bacteria found in mosquitoes to prevent spread of the malaria parasite.

The scientists, from Sweden, Germany and Austria, recently published a paper in

the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology.

In that paper, they describe genetic and other test results to show they have

found two new strains or species of the bacterial genus Thorsellia:

Thorsellia kenyensis and Thorsellia kandunguensis.

The team isolated the bacterial strains from larvae of the mosquito Anopheles

arabiensis, one of the most important spreaders of malaria in sub-Saharan

Africa and surrounding areas.

They are now looking for a way to use the bacteria in the fight against

malaria.

Thorsellia, and the family the genus belongs to -

Thorselliaceae - are named after the pioneering mosquito researcher

Professor Walborg Thorsell - now 96 years old - who started investigating mosquitoes

in the 1970s and then moved into developing mosquito repellents for soldiers to use

in war zones.

Thorsellia bacteria seem to be uniquely associated with disease-carrying mosquitoes

One of the study investigators, Olle Terenius, a researcher in the Department

of Ecology at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in Uppsala,

says:

"When we discovered the first species of Thorsellia in a Kenyan malaria

mosquito and decided to name the unique bacterium after Thorsell, we did not know

that it would prove to be so common in mosquitoes."

Since first discovering Thorsellia bacteria in Kenyan malaria

mosquitoes, the scientists have also isolated strains from mosquitoes spreading

malaria in Africa, Brazil, India and Iran, and in mosquitoes spreading West Nile

virus in the US.

It is unusual to find a new family of bacteria in this part of the family tree -

it has only happened once before in the last 50 years.

From what they have learned, the team believes that Thorsellia

bacteria have been evolving alongside disease-carrying mosquitoes for a very long

time, during which they have developed properties that help them survive in the

mosquitoes.

Terenius says they are excited by the fact they have only found these bacteria in

disease-carrying mosquitoes and the waters their larvae hatch in, and adds:

"We and other research groups are now trying to understand the interaction

between Thorsellia and mosquitoes. Among other things, Thorsellia

have properties facilitating mosquito-larvae uptake and survival."

The researchers are looking for ways to modify the bacteria to fight

malaria

Co-author Sebastian Håkansson, a researcher at SLU's Department of Microbiology,

explains they are now investigating ways in which they could use the bacteria to

fight malaria:

"We are looking for bacteria that live in the mosquito gut and which

grow quickly when the mosquito has taken a blood meal. The idea is to genetically

modify these bacteria to produce substances that stop malaria parasite

development."

He also notes that by using bacteria closely linked to malaria mosquitoes, they

reduce the risk that genetically modified bacteria end up in the wrong place in

nature.

Meanwhile, Medical News Today recently learned how a team of scientists

is developing a way to use satellite data to fight malaria and other parasitic

diseases. They are combining health data with satellite-acquired data on climate and

terrain to make a geographical information system that helps decision makers quickly

locate high-risk disease areas, and see whether there is enough resource there.

Written by Catharine Paddock PhD

Courtesy: Medical News Today Note: Any medical information available in this news section is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional.