(BBC News) – Scientists believe it may be possible to combat malaria by interfering with the sex lives of the mosquitoes which spread the disease. They have shown that the insects can only mate successfully if the male is able to seal his sperm inside the female using a “mating plug”. Without the plug, fertilisation cannot occur, and the animals cannot reproduce. The Imperial College London study is published in the journal PLoS Biology.
The researchers focused on the species of mosquito primarily responsible for the transmission of malaria in Africa - Anopheles gambiae. These insects mate only once in their lifetime, so disrupting the reproductive process offers a good way of dramatically reducing their numbers. When they mate, the male transfers sperm to the female followed by a coagulated mass of proteins and seminal fluids known as a mating plug. This plug is not found in any other species of mosquito and its role had previously been unclear, but the Imperial team showed it was essential for ensuring sperm is correctly retained in the female’s sperm storage organ, from where she can fertilise eggs over the course of her lifetime.
Anopheles larva from southern Germany, about 8 mm long
In the lab, the researchers were able to stop successful reproduction by preventing the formation of the plug in males.
Professor Steve Lindsay, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said any attempt to control mosquito populations could be hindered by the fact that the insects’ mating behaviour was still not fully understood.
He said: “This is a very novel idea, which is really neat. We will need a whole variety of different tools to combat malaria, and this may have a function, but there is no one magic bullet.”
A team at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are working on another method to reduce the growth of the mosquito population – using radiation to sterilize male insects.
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