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As the days grow longer and warmer, summer fun beckons. Swimming, sports, and picnics go hand in hand with warmer weather. But so do bug bites. Mosquitoes in particular can ruin a day outside. And their bites aren’t just itchy and irritating. They can also spread disease. The list of illnesses carried by mosquitoes keeps …
Image Caption: Aloe rinds, like those pictured here, contain bioactive compounds that could be used to deter insects from feasting on agricultural fields. CREDIT: ACS, Nazmul Huda Aloe vera/Aloe barbadensis has been used for thousands of years to help treat skin ailments, heal wounds, and promote digestive health. The gel may be in high demand …
The CDC has released an alert stating that malaria is a medical emergency and that anyone with symptoms should be urgently evaluated following the identification of locally acquired malaria cases in Florida and Texas within the last two months. In Florida, four cases within close geographic proximity have been identified (Sarasota County), and one case …
It’s impossible to hide from a female mosquito — she will hunt down any member of the human species by tracking our CO2 exhalations, body heat, and body odor. But some of us are distinct “mosquito magnets” who get more than our fair share of bites. Blood type, blood sugar level, consuming garlic or bananas, …
World Mosquito Day is on Saturday, Aug. 20, 2022, which is being recognized by NIAID in this interview: The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that vector-borne illnesses account for more than 17% of all infectious diseases worldwide and are responsible for more than 700,000 deaths annually. Mosquitoes, which some may argue are the most nefarious …
One injection of a candidate monoclonal antibody (mAb) known as L9LS was found to be safe and highly protective in U.S. adults exposed to the malaria parasite, according to results from a National Institutes of Health Phase 1 clinical trial published in The New England Journal of Medicine. Additional clinical trials evaluating if L9LS can …
Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) studied the human immune response after immunization with the malaria pathogen Plasmodium falciparum. Their goal was to find out against which protein components the T helper cells induced in this way are directed. To the researchers’ surprise, the T helper cells reacted exclusively to the protein sequence …
Since the onset of the CRISPR genetic editing revolution, scientists have been working to leverage the technology in the development of gene drives that target pathogen-spreading mosquitoes such as Anopheles and Aedes species, which spread malaria, dengue and other life-threatening diseases. Much less genetic engineering has been devoted to Culex genus mosquitoes, which spread devastating …
Alphaviruses — mosquito-borne viruses that can trigger brain infections and arthritis — may have met their match. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified two antibodies that protect animals from disease caused by alphaviruses. The antibodies worked for every alphavirus tested, meaning they potentially could form the basis of treatments …
The mosquito protein AEG12 strongly inhibits the family of viruses that cause yellow fever, dengue, West Nile, and Zika and weakly inhibits coronaviruses, according to scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and their collaborators. The researchers found that AEG12 works by destabilizing the viral envelope, breaking its protective covering. Although the protein does …