Posted on 03/27/2025 5:03:37 PM PDT by nickcarraway
"One way to stop the spread of diseases transmitted by insects is to make the blood of animals and humans toxic," according to researchers.
Researchers have discovered that a medication typically prescribed for rare diseases could make human blood deadly for mosquitoes, offering a potential lead to curb diseases such as malaria.
They experimented with a drug called nitisinone, which is usually prescribed to individuals with rare inherited diseases that typically prevent them from being able to fully break down certain amino acids.
The medication works by blocking an enzyme to prevent the build-up of harmful disease byproducts in the human body.
Scientists in Argentina use nuclear energy to reduce disease-carrying mosquitoes When mosquitoes drink blood that contains nitisinone, the drug also blocks the enzyme in their bodies, stopping them from properly digesting the blood, leading them to quickly die, according to their findings published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
"One way to stop the spread of diseases transmitted by insects is to make the blood of animals and humans toxic to these blood-feeding insects," Lee R Haines, associate research professor at the University of Notre Dame in the US and co-lead author of the study, said in a statement.
"Our findings suggest that using nitisinone could be a promising new complementary tool for controlling insect-borne diseases like malaria".
Personal protective measures include wearing covering clothes, the use of mosquito repellent and the use of bed nets or window and door screens.
A growing need for mosquito control solutions
Another method is the use of ivermectin, used to kill parasites. However, its repeated use can lead to drug-resistance. It can also be toxic for the environment.
"Nitisinone performance was fantastic," said Álvaro Acosta Serrano, professor of biological sciences at Notre Dame and co-corresponding author of the study.
"It has a much longer half-life in human blood than ivermectin, which means its mosquitocidal activity remains circulating in the human body for much longer. This is critical when applied in the field for safety and economical reasons," he added.
Nitisinone was able to kill mosquitoes across all age groups, including older mosquitoes that are most likely to transmit malaria. It was also capable of eliminating insecticide-resistant mosquitoes.
"In the future, it could be advantageous to alternate both nitisinone and ivermectin for mosquito control," Haines said.
"For example, nitisinone could be employed in areas where ivermectin resistance persists or where ivermectin is already heavily used for livestock and humans".
Mosquito-borne diseases include malaria, dengue, West Nile virus, chikungunya and yellow fever, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
They represent an emerging threat to human health in Europe with climate change creating more favourable conditions for invasive mosquito species despite malaria being eradicated from the continent for several decades.
Why not spray the mosquitoes with the stuff? Why put it in my body in hopes it will eventually kill the mosquito (after it passes all diseases it carries to me)?
You First Indy
I’ll pass. Thanks to the covid scam, any new drug is highly questionable.
Side effects
Black, tarry stools
Bleeding gums
Blindness
Blood in the urine or stools
Bloody nose
Blurred vision
Burning, dry, or itching eyes
Change in color vision
Chest pain or discomfort
Chills
Cough
Decreased vision
Difficulty seeing at night
Excessive eye tearing
Eye redness, irritation, or pain
Fever
Increased sensitivity of the eyes to sunlight
Painful or difficult urination
Pinpoint red spots on the skin
Redness, pain, swelling of the eye, eyelid, or inner lining of the eyelid
Sore throat
Sores, ulcers, or white spots on the lips or in the mouth
Swollen or painful glands
Thickened patches on the skin
Unusual bleeding or bruising
Unusual tiredness or weakness
Sign me up. I am a mosquito magnet!
I’d rather move to Vegas...
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