The scientists propose a new plan to control the number of mosquitoes and cope with malaria through the blood of a poison with mosquitoes, causing them to die quickly after burning.
Researchers consider how nitisinone in human blood affects mosquitoes. Image: Lee Haines
According to research by the Liverpool tropical medical group in the UK, Nitisinone can kill mosquitoes with only a small amount of human blood. When mosquitoes suck the blood of 3 nitisinone users to treat a genetic disorder, they die within 12 hours. The research results were published in the magazine Science Translational Medicine March 26.
Nitisinone is licensed to treat some rare genetic diseases. This drug works through preventing the production of a special protein, leading to a decrease in toxic by -products in the human body. When mosquitoes suck blood containing nitisinone, they will die quickly.
“A way to prevent the spread of insect disease is to make human blood and toxic animals with blood -sucking insects,” Lee R. Haines from the Liverpool Tropical Medical School said. “Our discovery shows that the use of nitisinone may be a promising new supplementary tool to control the disease spread through insects like malaria.”
The above treatment is still an idea to prove the concept. In the previous study, Nitisinone did not seem to destroy other important insects that played an pollination role in the ecosystem, but its broader impact has not been carefully studied. It is likely that pesticide resistance will become a problem in the future if this mosquito destruction method is integrated into the program of applying drugs for the entire population.
Researchers check the effects of nitisinone on mosquitoes, as well as use the math model to determine the effects of different doses on the simulation population. They found that drugs were effective in killing mosquitoes at all ages, including old individuals that are more likely to carry malaria germs.
The use of such anti -parasitic drugs is not a new idea. The nitisinone comparison team with Ivermectin, which was used as a potential tool to kill mosquitoes. While Ivermectin is inserted into a human body or cows to kill mosquitoes at a lower concentration of nitisinone, nitisinone works faster, usually in just one day. It also saved in human blood for a longer time, so the possibility of mosquitoes in contact with the drug will be higher. The parasitic parasitian Asialvaro Acosta Serrano at the Liverpool Tropical Medicine School rated nitisinone better than Ivermectin. Unlike Ivermectin, nitisinone does not target the nervous system so it is less toxic. In addition, Ivermectin also destroys other insects.
Malaria is still responsible for causing more than 500,000 deaths per year. The new method provides hope of dealing with diseases, which can support measures to prevent the disease spread without threatening other people or wildlife.