Nitisinone Could Make Human Blood Deadly to Mosquitos, Combatting Malaria

Close-up view of a vibrant green insect under ultraviolet light, showcasing its detailed wings and large compound eye. An Anopheles gambiae mosquito that has been fed dye to make her glow.

“Mosquitoes are more than pests. They’re also a mortal threat, contributing to millions of cases of malaria a year. Fortunately for humans, however, a team of researchers has recently identified a medication that could curb mosquito populations, controlling their spread of malaria. Revealing their results in a paper published in Science Translational Medicine, the researchers report that the medication nitisinone makes human blood deadly to mosquitoes.”

This is quite interesting in that it has no effect on the environment at all. Malaria affects 100’s of millions of people worldwide, so this could help a lot of people.

Scientists still have to determine what dosages will work, and I suppose how long it will last in the blood.

I wonder if this also why mosquitos like some people’s blood, but not others. The difference with nitisinone though is that it is deadly to them.

See https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/this-medication-could-make-human-blood-deadly-to-mosquitos-combatting

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