Genes & Cells
Why mosquitoes don’t get malaria, plus brain stem cells and hot cancer treatment in this week’s news
By Science News
Gut bacteria: 1, malaria: 0
Malaria, meet your natural nemesis. Friendly bacteria living in mosquito abdomens kill off the parasites that cause malaria, a finding that may explain why pathogen-infected mosquitoes don’t get sick, U.S. and African researchers report in the May 13
Science
. Malaria-causing Plasmodium parasites mature and grow in the guts of live mosquitoes. But microscopic helpers in the mosquitoes’ gut don’t let the parasites get too far. In lab studies, one type of Enterobacter impeded the disease-causing organisms’ development by close to 90 percent. The helpful bacteria secrete nasty juices that seem to break down the pathogen’s cellular machinery, researchers say. —