malaria

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Anopheles stephensi mosquito

Altered body odor indicates malaria even if microscope doesn't

5/14/18

Typhoid Mary may have infected a hundred or more people, but asymptomatic carriers of malaria infect far more people every year through mosquito vectors. An international team of researchers is working toward a way to identify malaria patients including infected individuals who show no malaria symptoms.

A mosquito feeds on a human host and is engorged with blood

Have RNA, will travel

1/10/18

The parasite that causes malaria has not one, but two, specialized proteins that protect its genetic material until the parasite takes up residence in a new host.

glass sculpture of the malaria parasite

New research agenda for malaria elimination and eradication

1/8/18

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.

Anopheles gambiae mosquito

Grant enables study of mosquito virus as a genetic lab tool, malaria biocontrol

8/14/17

A virus that infects a species of malaria-transmitting mosquito could help scientists gain a better understanding of mosquito biology and eventually could lead to methods for stopping or slowing the spread of the disease, according to a researcher in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. Jason Rasgon, professor of entomology, has received a grant of $1.9 million from the National Institutes of Health to study the virus, called AgDNV.

Colorized electron micrograph of a malaria-causing Plasmodium parasite (right) attaching to and invading a human red blood cell.

Potential new target for anti-malarial drugs identified

6/14/17

A newly described protein could be an effective target for combating drug-resistant malaria parasites. The protein, the transcription factor PfAP2-I, regulates a number of genes involved with the parasite’s invasion of red blood cells, a critical part of the parasite’s complex life cycle that could be targeted by new anti-malarial drugs.

Head shot of researcher

Researchers aim to eliminate malaria in Southeast Asia

4/24/17

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.

malaria cows

Considering cattle could help eliminate malaria in India

1/16/17

The goal of eliminating malaria in countries like India could be more achievable if mosquito-control efforts take into account the relationship between mosquitoes and cattle, according to an international team of researchers.

Erica Smithwick looking at map with collaborator

How land use affects the spread of disease

9/8/16

Protecting the landscape may also help protect people from some infectious diseases, according to Erica Smithwick, associate professor of geography. Smithwick and her colleagues have been investigating how land use has affected the spread of two diseases in sub-Saharan Africa.

Cracking the code of the malaria parasite may help stop transmission

4/14/16

The most dangerous malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, is responsible for nearly half a million deaths annually across Africa and Southeast Asia. Of increasing concern, this parasite is now developing resistance to common antimalarial drugs. Gaining a better understanding of the parasite's development in the body is urgently required. Now, a multi-university team, which includes Penn State, has broken the code that may lead to new defenses against the deadly parasite.

Penn State collaboration to bring malaria power bar to children in need

3/16/16

There’s an awful calculus that takes place in malaria stricken regions of the world. Due to malnutrition, children in these areas often suffer from iron deficiency anemia, which can lead to serious cognitive and motor impairments. While iron supplementation may sound like an obvious solution, there’s been a big problem with it.

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