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Science 10 June 2005:
Vol. 308. no. 5728, pp. 1638 - 1641
DOI: 10.1126/science.1108423
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Reports

Fungal Pathogen Reduces Potential for Malaria Transmission

Simon Blanford,1 Brian H. K. Chan,1 Nina Jenkins,2 Derek Sim,1 Ruth J. Turner,1 Andrew F. Read,1 Matt B. Thomas3*

Using a rodent malaria model, we found that exposure to surfaces treated with fungal entomopathogens following an infectious blood meal reduced the number of mosquitoes able to transmit malaria by a factor of about 80. Fungal infection, achieved through contact with both solid surfaces and netting for durations well within the typical post-feed resting periods, was sufficient to cause >90% mortality. Daily mortality rates escalated dramatically around the time of sporozoite maturation, and infected mosquitoes showed reduced propensity to blood feed. Residual sprays of fungal biopesticides might replace or supplement chemical insecticides for malaria control, particularly in areas of high insecticide resistance.

1 Institutes of Evolution, Immunology, and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, Ashworth Laboratories, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JT Scotland, UK.
2 CABI Bioscience at Department of Agricultural Sciences, Imperial College London, Wye Campus, Wye, Kent, TN25 5AH, UK.
3 Division of Biology and NERC Centre for Population Biology, Imperial College London, Wye Campus, Wye, Kent, TN25 5AH, UK.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: m.thomas{at}imperial.ac.uk

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Agrobacterium-Mediated Disruption of a Nonribosomal Peptide Synthetase Gene in the Invertebrate Pathogen Metarhizium anisopliae Reveals a Peptide Spore Factor.
Y.-S. Moon, B. G. G. Donzelli, S. B. Krasnoff, H. McLane, M. H. Griggs, P. Cooke, J. D. Vandenberg, D. M. Gibson, and A. C. L. Churchill (2008)
Appl. Envir. Microbiol. 74, 4366-4380
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African Water Storage Pots for the Delivery of the Entomopathogenic Fungus Metarhizium anisopliae to the Malaria Vectors Anopheles gambiae s.s. and Anopheles funestus.
M. Farenhorst, D. Farina, E.-J. Scholte, W. Takken, R. H. Hunt, M. Coetzee, and B. G. J. Knols (2008)
Am J Trop Med Hyg 78, 910-916
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Phage display cDNA cloning and expression analysis of hydrophobins from the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria (Cordyceps) bassiana.
E.-M. Cho, B. H. Kirkland, D. J. Holder, and N. O. Keyhani (2007)
Microbiology 153, 3438-3447
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The Metarhizium anisopliae Perilipin Homolog MPL1 Regulates Lipid Metabolism, Appressorial Turgor Pressure, and Virulence.
C. Wang and R. J. St. Leger (2007)
J. Biol. Chem. 282, 21110-21115
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The MAD1 Adhesin of Metarhizium anisopliae Links Adhesion with Blastospore Production and Virulence to Insects, and the MAD2 Adhesin Enables Attachment to Plants.
C. Wang and R. J. St Leger (2007)
Eukaryot. Cell 6, 808-816
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Fungal Peptide Destruxin A Plays a Specific Role in Suppressing the Innate Immune Response in Drosophila melanogaster.
S. Pal, R. J. St. Leger, and L. P. Wu (2007)
J. Biol. Chem. 282, 8969-8977
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The use of transcriptional profiles to predict adult mosquito age under field conditions.
P. E. Cook, L. E. Hugo, I. Iturbe-Ormaetxe, C. R. Williams, S. F. Chenoweth, S. A. Ritchie, P. A. Ryan, B. H. Kay, M. W. Blows, and S. L. O'Neill (2006)
PNAS 103, 18060-18065
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EST analysis of cDNA libraries from the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria (Cordyceps) bassiana. I. Evidence for stage-specific gene expression in aerial conidia, in vitro blastospores and submerged conidia..
E.-M. Cho, L. Liu, W. Farmerie, and N. O. Keyhani (2006)
Microbiology 152, 2843-2854
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Natural malaria infection in Anopheles gambiae is regulated by a single genomic control region..
M. M. Riehle, K. Markianos, O. Niare, J. Xu, J. Li, A. M. Toure, B. Podiougou, F. Oduol, S. Diawara, M. Diallo, et al. (2006)
Science 312, 577-579
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A collagenous protective coat enables Metarhizium anisopliae to evade insect immune responses.
C. Wang and R. J. St. Leger (2006)
PNAS 103, 6647-6652
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Harnessing Fungi to Control Malaria Transmission.
(2005)
Journal Watch Infectious Diseases 2005, 4
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An Entomopathogenic Fungus for Control of Adult African Malaria Mosquitoes.
E.-J. Scholte, K. Ng'habi, J. Kihonda, W. Takken, K. Paaijmans, S. Abdulla, G. F. Killeen, and B. G. J. Knols (2005)
Science 308, 1641-1642
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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)