The Goldilocks Dose: Modulating Mosquito Diet to Control Malaria

Feeding mosquitoes L-DOPA can either strengthen their defences against malaria or shorten their lifespan — showing that in vector control, the dose makes the difference

Transcript

As with all medicine, the dose determines whether something helps or harms.

Researchers recently looked at a substance commonly found in mosquito habitats that might form part of their diet. It’s called L-3-4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, or L-DOPA. Mosquitoes use it as a source of melanin.

At low doses – up to a concentration of 2% – L-DOPA was toxic to mosquitoes and reduced the number of malaria parasites they carry in a dose-dependent manner. At higher doses, toxicity was stronger and the mosquitoes’ rates of survival decreased, demonstrating what’s known as a biphasic dose response.

These findings offer two potential strategies for L-DOPA in malaria control. Low doses fed to mosquitoes in water could improve their defences against the parasite, thereby reducing onward transmission to humans. Higher doses could be used to kill mosquitoes or reduce their life span, particularly if used in a sugar bait.

These strategies align with the need for cost-effective, sustainable and eco-friendly vector control methods. For L-DOPA, it all comes down to the dose.

Source

Dietary L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) augments cuticular melanization in Anopheles mosquitos reducing their lifespan and malaria burden

About The Podcast

The Johns Hopkins Malaria Minute podcast is produced by the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute to highlight impactful malaria research and to share it with the global community.