Malaria causing mosquitoes evolving into new species

Oct 24, 2010 |

IANS

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London: Two strains of Africa's most notorious malaria mosquitoes are evolving into new species, having implications for combating the disease as the vectors could become immune to control strategies.

Scientists studied the mosquito Anopheles Gambiae, which is chiefly responsible for spreading malaria in sub-Saharan Africa, the Daily Mail reported.

They found that two strains were rapidly diverging in their genetic make-up, despite appearing physically identical, according to the journal Science.

Maria Lawniczak, member of the team from Imperial College London, said: "From our new studies, we can see that mosquitoes are evolving more quickly than we thought and that unfortunately, strategies that might work against one strain of mosquito might not be effective against another."

"It's important to identify and monitor these hidden genetic changes in mosquitoes if we are to succeed in bringing malaria under control by targeting mosquitoes," Lawniczak added.

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