Science：fungi that kill human malaria parasites in mosquitoes

esearchers say using fungi to infect mosquitoes with Plasmodium in vivo can be an effective way to release toxins, antibodies and other agents that control the spread of malaria. Wei Guo Fang and colleagues have found that a combination of certain genes can stop the development of malaria parasites in mosquitoes when a particular biological agent gene is inserted into an infecting fungi (Metarhizium anisopliae). They say the fungus drug delivery system is exposed and can be applied like chemicals, both indoors and outdoors, and can be genetically modified to counter the resistance that might appear in evolution. For the time being, the fungus delivery system can be used effectively against many insect-resistant mosquitoes, which spread the malaria parasite to a human host. Fang and colleagues prepared different strains of Metarhizium anisopliae that express a peptide, an antibody and an antimicrobial toxin (or a combination of all three substances) and create them against spores of infected mosquitoes Material(Sporozoites are the cells of a new host that are produced by malaria parasites). A specific combination of a scorpion toxin plus a salivary gland and midgut peptide reduces the number of sporozoites by 98% through release from the fungus. These findings suggest that this inhibition of Plasmodium, mediated by Metarhizium anisopliae, may ultimately be a valuable weapon against the disease. (Weiguo Fang, Joel Vega-Rodríguez, Anil K. Ghosh, Marcelo Jacobs-Lorena, Angray Kang, and Raymond J. St. Leger. Development of Transgenic Fungi That Kill Human Malaria Parasites in Mosquitoes .Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1199115)