Bio-safe way to fight mosquitos

Best way to fight mosquitos

In a significant step towards curbing the spread of malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases, researchers from the United States have discovered a drug which could help in “mosquito birth control”.

Key Highlights

• In an important discovery, researchers have found a safe way to control mosquito population without affecting other organisms.
• The drug discovered blocks a protein in mosquitoes due to which the eggs are laid with defective shells causing the embryos inside to die.
• The drug can be used in the form of sprays and would be absorbed by the mosquito through her legs and body.
• Thus the drug can prove effective in developing new bio-safe insecticides.

How does the drug work?

• The drug discovered targets a protein required for development of mosquito eggs.
• Since the protein is specific to mosquitoes, it may be possible to interrupt their egg formation without harming other insects.
• The researchers identified a protein, called eggshell organizing factor whose inactivation led to fragile, non-melanized eggshells.
• The loss of this protein caused multiple defects in egg structure.
• It was found that none of the eggs with deficient protein called eggshell organizing factor were viable.
• Since the protein is restricted to mosquitoes, it may provide a useful target for developing more biosafe mosquito control strategies.
• The drug uses a technique called RNAi, which inactivates messenger RNA and thus blocks expression of the targeted gene.
• Once the target gene is altered, researchers can use gene drive technology using CRISPR gene editing to inherit the property to younger generations.

Background

• According to World Malaria Report 2018, globally an estimated 219 million cases of malaria occurred with 4,35,000 deaths due to malaria in 2017.
• India accounted for 4% of deaths due to malaria.
• The World Health Organization in its Global technical strategy for malaria 2016–2030 has set a target to eliminate malaria worldwide by 2030.

Status of malaria in India

• In India, malaria cases have consistently declined from 20.8 lakhs in 2001 to about 8.4 lakhs in 2017.
• Till September 2018, according to National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme, about 2.75 lakh cases of malaria were reported.
• The majority of malaria cases are being reported from states in the eastern, central and north-eastern part of the country.
• Odisha, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tripura and Meghalaya account for a major burden of malaria cases.

National Framework for Malaria Elimination (2016-2030)

• In 2016, India launched the National Framework for Malaria Elimination as strategic roadmap to eliminate malaria by 2030.
• Objectives:
  • Eliminate malaria from all low and moderate endemic states and Union territories by 2022.
  • Reducing the incidence of new cases of malaria to less than one case per 1000 population in all states and Union territories by 2024.
  • This has been achieved with incidence of malaria in India is being 0.66 cases per one thousand population in 2017.
  • Making India malaria-free by 2027.
  • Malaria-free means interrupting and arresting indigenous transmission of malaria in all states by 2027.
  • Eliminate malaria in all forms by 2030.