Microbe discovered which prevents mosquitoes from harbouring malaria parasite

(Image: Pixabay CC0) - Scientific research, in which a researcher from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) has participated, has identified a bacteria that prevents the malaria parasite from completing its cycle inside mosquitoes. This advance, recently published in the journal Science, could provide an additional weapon against the spread of malaria in the world. According to World Health Organisation (WHO), the number of people contracting malaria is increasing. Specifically, there were an estimated 249 million malaria cases worldwide in 2022: 5 million more than in 2021 and 16 million above the pre-pandemic level of 233 million recorded in 2019. In addition to the disruptions caused by COVID-19, the global response to this disease has faced a growing number of threats, such as drug and insecticide resistance, humanitarian crises, resource constraints, the effects of climate change and delays in programme implementation, according to the WHO. Each year more than half a million people die from this disease, most of them children under 5 years of age. Although some vaccines have been developed, their effectiveness is limited and they are still in the early stages of implementation in Africa.