In a groundbreaking revelation, researchers have stumbled upon a variant of bacteria that exhibits the potential to address the menace of malaria.
As per the 2020 report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), nearly half of the global populace faced the risk of malaria, with its most fatal consequences concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa.
However, diligent investigations conducted at a laboratory situated in Tres Cantos, Madrid, have brought to light a compelling discovery. A specific strain of bacteria, once ingested by mosquitoes, manifests a remarkable capacity to diminish the extent of infection carried by these insects, thereby significantly reducing the likelihood of malaria transmission.
At the helm of the Tres Cantos Laboratory, GSK, stands David Barros-Aguirre, an eminent figure spearheading this remarkable research initiative. Barros-Aguirre elucidates, “So, the bacteria get inside the gut of the mosquito. Even if one single bacteria will go there, it stays there like the microbiome; it stays in the gut of the mosquito, reproduces in the gut of the mosquito, and that bacteria produces a metabolite, a compound, naturally by itself that is called harmane, and it is the harmane, the compound, that affects the viability of the eggs of the parasite.”
A noteworthy aspect is that the mosquito remains oblivious to the bacterial intrusion, thereby circumventing any likelihood of developing resistance. Moreover, it’s imperative to underscore that the bacteria’s interaction does not lead to any genetic modification of the mosquito.
Barros-Aguirre elaborates, “What happens is that the bacteria colonise the gut of the mosquito, but doesn’t modify its DNA, doesn’t modify the ability of the mosquito to grow, doesn’t affect the ability of the mosquito to live as any other mosquito, not even in reproduction, so there are no changes at all affecting the life, the span, the spread of the mosquito,”
The pharmaceutical giant GSK has named this invaluable bacterium ‘TC1,’ an homage to the very laboratory that ignited intense curiosity around it.
While this breakthrough doesn’t claim to offer a definitive solution to the complex issue of malaria, it stands as yet another potent tool in the ongoing battle against the disease.
Barros-Aguirre clarified, “Because it doesn’t affect the mosquito’s viability, it won’t create resistance. It’s not the same like an insecticide. Insecticides kill the mosquito, and therefore they try not to be killed and escape that distress. Because this doesn’t distress them, they won’t try to resist it.”
On a global scale, researchers continue their relentless pursuit of strategies to effectively manage malaria. Presently, GSK collaborates with Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, USA, in an effort to harness the potential of this bacterium for combating the disease. Nevertheless, it’s prudent to acknowledge that this endeavour is poised to span several years before fruition can be realised.
