Nixing Malaria: DNA segment provides parasite resistance
A section of the mosquito genome appears to give the insects a natural resistance to malaria, scientists report. Further analysis of that DNA might suggest new ways to prevent this deadly disease.
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Most of the world’s 300 million to 500 million annual new cases of malaria arise in sub-Saharan Africa. In that part of the world, the disease is mainly transmitted by a species of mosquito known as Anopheles gambiae. A mosquito picks up the malaria parasite, typically a protozoan called Plasmodium falciparum, by biting people already infected with the disease.