Swedish academics intend to eradicate malaria with what they have just developed.
In 2020 across the world, malaria still killed more than 600,000 people. But in Stockholm, we hope to deal a fatal blow to this scourge.
The weapon developed by the team led by biologist Noushin Emami? From fake blood aimed at providing a different approach than that offered by pesticides to eradicate mosquitoes which carry the disease, and complementary to research on vaccine development.
A molecule and beet juice
Five years ago, the scientist and others had already discovered that if mosquitoes were not only vectors of malaria, they were also attracted to people who were already infected.
This insect preference is linked to a particular molecule, HMBPP, which is made when the parasite attacks red blood cells. Noushin Emami explains to AFP that “If we add this molecule to any liquid, we make it very attractive to mosquitoes ”. And “If we add this molecule to any liquid, we make it very attractive to mosquitoes ”, which pass from life to death in just a few hours. It is, she summarizes, to use “Harmless, environmentally friendly and easily obtainable deadly compounds”.
Efficient and inexpensive
An idea shared by Lech Ignatowicz, leqeul is at the head of the company that develops this product: “Pesticides kill all types of insects they come in contact with. Here, even in very dense environments like the jungle or tropical areas full of insects, we choose the ones we want to get rid of ”. And given the low cost of producing the product, its use in the poorest countries can be considered.
It remains to be seen bigger than a laboratory refrigerator. This is what an expert mosquito researcher at the Swedish Veterinary Institute, Anders Lindström, said: “The problem is always to scale up, the territories which must be covered by this type of trap for them to be effective are immense ”. This is the reason why he says to himself “Cautiously optimistic”, added to that of the difficulty of ensuring the continuity of application of the method. Because as he says again, “We can have a quick effect to reduce populations mosquitoes but if you stop they will come back right away ”.
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