Cliff notes for the ADD:
New mozzie found, high % carry worst strain of malaria, more active in early evening and later in morning, so bed nets are as protective as they were against other mosquitos carrying malaria.



http://www.healthmap.org/news/...to-found-kenya-91912


Malaria is transmitted to humans by Anopheles mosquitoes. Within the Anopheles genus (“genus” being a group of organisms with common characteristics), there are approximately 430 species. Of those species, according to the CDC, only about 30 to 40 species transmit malaria. These mosquitoes tend to feed at night, and indoors; knowledge that gave rise to popular malaria prevention methods such as insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs).
A recent discovery from researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and the Kenya Medical Research Institute Center for Global Health Research suggests the existence of a new malaria-carrying mosquito, a mosquito with different feeding patterns, which threatens those relying on current malaria prevention techniques.
In the September volume of Emerging Infectious Diseases, researchers pointed out that malaria prevention and control today relies on information about mosquito habits that might be outdated, so they endeavored to trap mosquitoes in Kenya for evaluation.
Between May and August of 2010, these researchers captured 422 mosquitoes for analysis. After DNA sequencing, 216 mosquitoes could not be matched to known Anopheles species. Further research showed that these new mosquitoes were frequently found outdoors between 6:30pm and 6:30am, meaning that people relying on ITNs were not protected.
Five of the new species tested positive for the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite that causes the most severe form of malaria.
The study is significant for several reasons. First, the newly discovered mosquitoes are active outdoors and at earlier times of the day, which could affect malaria control and reduction efforts. Second, it emphasizes how necessary mosquito population surveillance is. As Jo Lines, from the LSHTM and formerly of the WHO Global Malaria Programme, says, “[T]here is no substitute for careful monitoring of mosquito populations. In order to be effective, such monitoring must be carried out by specialist experts who have the skills to recognize and investigate unexpected entomological observations.”

Duckear,
Thanks for posting this. I know this probably has a limited audience. I used to read EID regularly, but after retiring, I lost my access to the hard copies, and kind of slipped in keeping up with things. It's just not the same looing at a computer screen. Surprising stuff. It will be interesting to see how good these species are in vectoring the virus and whether their role is new or just something missed in previous work.
Bfly

quote:

Originally posted by Black Fly:
Duckear,
Thanks for posting this. I know this probably has a limited audience. I used to read EID regularly, but after retiring, I lost my access to the hard copies, and kind of slipped in keeping up with things. It's just not the same looing at a computer screen. Surprising stuff. It will be interesting to see how good these species are in vectoring the virus and whether their role is new or just something missed in previous work.
Bfly

The mosquito is truly Africa's most dangerous game if you tally up all the death and disease it causes.

While not that big of a deal to the hunter, the residents of Africa will really feel the effects of a less nocturnal malaria vector that a cheap bed net won't stop.