Studying Mosquito Immune Cells Could Improve Understanding of Disease Transmission
Published:24 Aug.2021 Source:Iowa State University
A new study that details mosquito immune cells could shed light on the insect immune system and how mosquitoes transmit parasites that cause malaria.
A new study, published recently in the peer-reviewed scientific journal eLife, identifies several new forms of mosquito immune cells, providing new clarity into the mosquito immune system. Immune cells play a central role in the immune response of mosquitoes toward malaria parasites and viruses after these pathogens are taken up upon feeding on an infected person. It's a field of study that has remained poorly understood due to the lack of genetic tools, said Ryan Smith, an associate professor of entomology at Iowa State University and lead author of the study.