Transgenic fungus can fight Malaria
Malaria is a blood disease caused by parasites in the genus Plasmodium. A female infected Anopheles mosquito bites the person and transmits this disease by inserting the malarial parasite into human blood circulation from its saliva. Around 240 million cases of malaria occurred every year worldwide which results in approximately 850,000 annual deaths according to WHO. Treatment used to control malaria can decrease the prevalence of this disease to a great extend, but mosquitoes are obtaining resistance to all pesticides, so a modern and permanent solution is needed. To find out a new solution, researchers tested whether a genetically modified fungus could be an efficient and eco-friendly means to fight malaria.
Researchers have created transgenic anti-malarial fungus, starting with Metarhizium anisopliae, a fungus which attacks mosquitoes naturally. They modified this fungus to carry genes for either an anti-malarial scorpion toxin or a human anti-malarial antibody. Both the scorpion toxin and the antibody attack the parasite Plasmodium falciparum, the most deadly malaria species. After that, scientists compared three different groups of mosquitoes infected by parasite P. facliparum. In first group, they sprayed mosquitoes with the genetically altered fungus. In second group, mosquitoes were sprayed with natural fungi. In last group, they sprayed mosquitoes without any fungus.
Researchers have found that transgenic fungus decreases the parasite growth. Mosquitoes sprayed with transgenic fungus shows a huge reduction in P. falciparum parasite loads. P.falciparum was present in only 25 percent of mosquitoes sprayed with transgenic fungus. While in second group, parasite was present in 87 percent of mosquitoes sprayed with natural fungus. In third group, parasite was present in 94 percent of mosquitoes sprayed alone. In 25 percent of mosquitoes of group one which still had parasites in them, parasites numbers were reduced by 95 percent compared to the mosquitoes sprayed with natural fungus.
This finding is an answer to problem such as resistance to pesticides. Genetic engineering can alter the genetic sequence to convert a harmful organism into useful organism. Genetic modification can be used in the future to combat other diseases, for example Lyme disease and dengue fever.
References:
1. http://newsdesk.umd.edu/uniini/release.cfm?ArticleID=2351
2. Development of Transgenic Fungi That Kill Human Malaria Parasites in Mosquitoes Science 25-Feb-2011.