Female mosquitoes don’t want to lay their eggs alone, but they don’t want sites that are too crowded either. Understanding what guides their choice could inform new control strategies.
Shüné Oliver, National Institute for Communicable Diseases and Jaishree Raman, National Institute for Communicable Diseases
Mosquitoes are among the deadliest animals in the world. Half of the deaths attributed to them are associated with malaria. But they carry other parasites and viruses that threaten human health.
Nuisance-biting and mosquito-borne disease are ongoing concerns for health authorities. But an effective citizen science program is now showing how all of us can help beat the bite of mozzies.
The Trump administration has banned NIH researchers from using fetal tissue. The tissue is an essential tool for scientists investigating diseases ranging from Alzheimer’s to Zika virus infections.
Suan-Sin Foo, University of Southern California and Weiqiang Chen, University of Southern California
There is no vaccine or medicine for Zika. But researchers have identified factors in the blood that signal a fetus has Zika-related birth defects, helping mothers decide whether to terminate a pregnancy.
Is our changing climate making regions of the US more suitable for ticks and mosquitoes that spread diseases? Or is the climate changing human physiology making us more vulnerable?
By tackling local threats and controlling existing diseases, countries are able to build the capacity needed to deal with future emerging disease threats.
Gabrielle Belz, WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research) and Cyril Seillet, WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research)
Women have evolved to have stronger immunity than men. But this comes with downsides -
women are more likely to have autoimmune diseases due to their “reactive” immune systems.
The 2015 Zika outbreak in South America brought the virus to global attention. But tracing the history of the virus in West Africa can give clues to tackling future outbreaks.
Several sites in the US are releasing bacteria-infected mosquitoes as a way to fight mosquito-borne viruses that threaten people. What’s the science – and how well will it work?
An active outbreak of a type of bird flu in China raises concerns about worldwide pandemics. Ebola and Zika viruses still threaten. Here’s why this is not the time to cut funding.