Mosquito Finito

Killing harmful insects with pesticides often threatens innocent life nearby, but a new method to tackle Culex pipiens mosquitos focuses on control rather than killing. Looking at how Culex sperm fertilise female eggs (pictured), a team of researchers used mass spectrometry to find proteins that help the sperm’s tail – its flagellum – to waggle its way towards the egg. Developing treatments to block these proteins leaves the Culex alive but infertile, reducing the spread diseases like West Nile virus. It’s likely that other mosquito species have similar sperm-powering proteins such as those that carry malaria, and these may be tackled too. The insects may even yield clues to how similar proteins work in human fertility, giving answers to how struggling sperm can be helped rather than hindered.

Written by John Ankers

John Ankers

Writer

A former researcher in systems biology, John is now an online biology tutor and professional coach supporting the wellbeing of scientists and NHS professionals. He's writing, too, of course.

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• Image from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, USA
• Research by Catherine D. Thaler et al, Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
• Image in the Public Domain
• Research published in PLOS ONE, February 2023