Few animals on Earth evoke the antipathy that mosquitoes do.
Their itchy, irritating bites and nearly ubiquitous presence can
ruin a backyard barbecue or a hike in the woods. They have an
uncanny ability to sense our murderous intentions, taking flight
and disappearing milliseconds before a fatal swat. And in our
bedrooms, the persistent, whiny hum of their buzzing wings can
wake the soundest of sleepers. Beyond the nuisance factor,
mosquitoes are carriers, or vectors, for some of humanity’s most
deadly illnesses, and they are public enemy number one in the
fight against global infectious disease. Mosquito-borne diseases
cause millions of deaths worldwide every year with a
disproportionate effect on children and the elderly in
developing countries. There are more than 3,000 species of
mosquitoes, but the members of three bear primary responsibility
for the spread of human diseases. Anopheles mosquitoes are the
only species known to carry malaria. They also transmit
filariasis (also called elephantiasis) and e