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News/Event Item
Virus That Infects Mosquitoes Could Lead to Weapon Against Disease
Aug. 25, 2008
By Donald G. McNeil Jr.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have found a new virus that infects the world’s most dangerous mosquito. Although the virus appears harmless, the scientists proved that it can be genetically manipulated.
In theory, this means it can be modified to kill the mosquito or prevent it from transmitting malaria. However, the authors cautioned, that could take 5 to 15 years of work.
Their study, published last week in PLoS Pathogens, describes the first densovirus found in anopheles gambiae, Africa’s chief malaria vector. The species is an aggressive biter that prefers humans and will hide in huts. (Some mosquitoes prefer animals and do not leave the damp forests where they breed.)
© 2008 The New York Times Company
For full article, visit:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/26/health/research/26glob.html
category: Member Organization News : General Health News
contributed by Liza Nanni on 27 August 2008
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