April 01, 2020

Bolstering the immune system of mosquitoes that spread heartworm disease among dogs and elephantiasis among humans significantly diminished the insect’s potential as a vector for either illness.

That’s according to a new study published in the Feb. 3 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine identified a set of immune genes in a strain of Aedes aegypti mosquito resistant to infection with Dirofilaria immitis, the parasite that causes heartworm disease in dogs.

By activating the immune response in otherwise-susceptible mosquitoes, Michael Povelones, PhD, and his research team found they were able to stop D immitis as well as Brugia malayi parasites from developing into a transmissible form in the insects. The B malayi parasite is responsible for lymphatic filariasis, also known as elephantiasis, a tropical disease affecting millions of people, according to the World Health Organization.

The research raises the possibility of eliminating mosquito-borne diseases by targeting the insect itself.

“People are starting to look at these solutions that focus on the mosquito in diseases like malaria and dengue,” said Dr. Povelones, an assistant professor of pathobiology at UPenn’s School of Veterinary Medicine, in a statement. “I don’t think it’s disingenuous to say that these kinds of approaches could be used, perhaps in a locally targeted way, to stop heartworm or lymphatic filariasis.”