Researchers at Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute found a bacterium present in mosquito’s midgut. They genetically engineered the bacterium to prevent the mosquitoes from transmitting malaria to humans by killing the parasite that causes malaria.
Malaria is a common worldwide concern as it results in almost 8, 00,000 deaths every year of which most are kids. In a study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers said that they genetically modified the bacterium called Pantoea agglomerans to make it secrete certain toxic proteins that kill the malaria parasite without affecting either mosquitoes or humans.
It was also said that the genetically modified bacterium is 98 per cent effective in diminishing the malaria parasite in the mosquitoes. The prevalence of mosquitoes carrying malaria causing parasite .i.e Plasmodium falciparum was reduced up to 84 per cent.
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