[The following is an exact transcript of this podcast.] People
get malaria from Anopheles mosquitoes that themselves are
infected with a protozoan parasite called Plasmodium. The
mosquitoes do have immune systems. But the parasite has figured
out how to get past the mosquito’s defenses. So researchers at
Johns Hopkins University Malaria Research Institute are trying
to help people—by pumping up the mosquitoes’ immunity. When a
mosquito takes some blood from a human, she may also ingest
Plasmodium. The parasite ends up in the insect’s gut. The
mosquito immune system jumps into action as the parasites try to
push through the gut wall. Most parasites do get killed, but
some manage to survive that gut migration. Then they replicate
and move to the salivary glands, ready to infect the next person
the mosquito bites. Researchers are tinkering with specific
mosquito genes to see how they affect the development of the
parasite. Their goal is to develop a genetically modified
mosquito with a strengthened immune system