A cellular protein that interacts with invading viruses appears to help enable the infection process of the Zika virus, according to an international team of researchers who suggest this protein could be a key target in developing new therapies to prevent or treat Zika virus infection.
Mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles are well known as primary vectors of malaria. But a new study suggests that Anopheles species, including some found in the United States, also are capable of carrying and transmitting an emerging pathogen, Mayaro virus, which has caused outbreaks of disease in South America and the Caribbean.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A technology designed to improve CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing in mosquitoes and other arthropods succeeds with a high degree of efficiency, while eliminating the need for difficult microinjection of genetic material, according to researchers.
Manuel Llinás, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, and Jason Rasgon, professor of entomology and disease epidemiology, have participated in the formulation of an updated research agenda for global malaria elimination and eradication.
Researchers at Penn State have received more than $1 million in first-year funding from the National Institutes of Health to investigate malaria transmission in Southeast Asia with a goal of working toward the disease's elimination in the region. They will receive up to approximately $9 million over seven years for this project.
The National Institutes of Health has awarded a two-year grant to Jason Rasgon, associate professor of entomology and disease epidemiology at Penn State, to test whether common American mosquitoes can carry the Zika virus.
Penn State associate professor of entomology and disease epidemiology Jason Rasgon studies how viruses are spread by mosquitoes, fleas, sand flies, lice, ticks and mites, as well as other insects and arthropods.In this Probing Question video, Rasgon looks at the relative risks for Pennsylvanians
Jason Rasgon, associate professor of entomology and disease epidemiology at Penn State, studies how viruses are spread by mosquitoes, fleas, sand flies, lice, ticks, mites, and other insects and arthropods.
In a monthly feature, Penn State’s Office of Strategic Communications will feature national and international news coverage of the work and expertise of Penn State’s faculty, students and staff.
Native bacteria living inside mosquitoes prevent the insects from passing Wolbachia bacteria -- which can make the mosquitoes resistant to the malaria parasite -- to their offspring, according to a team of researchers.
Mosquitoes infected with the bacteria Wolbachia are more likely to become infected with West Nile virus and more likely to transmit the virus to humans, according to a team of researchers.
