Phoenix Rising
Like a mythical phoenix rising from the ashes, this video reveals malaria parasites developing in the digestive system of a female Anopheles mosquito.
The midgut of mosquitoes is one of the places these parasites grow and develop. To study them in detail, researchers used a special technique to expand the parasites to over four times their usual size.
Midguts filled with parasites are incubated in a chemical found in nappies, making them super absorbent, then soaked in water to swell and expand.
In the video, blue ‘rings’ show the nuclei of developing parasites, while midgut proteins are flaming red.
The team is working on future vaccines that can target malaria parasites both in people and mosquitoes, crucial for stopping the spread of one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases.
Artists
- Niall Geoghegan
- Sai Lekkala
- Tup Reaksudsan
