A new mosquito may pose severe malaria risks

A discovery of a new mosquito found in Africa has caused some alarm with researchers about the potential negative effects these little insects may carry. Researchers claim this new mosquito has high risks of carrying malaria, and it may be somewhat difficult to contain with existing malaria prevention methods.

To gather extensive data, researchers collected various types of mosquitoes over the course of four years.

This new mosquito is classified with the Anopheles gambiae mosquito, but it appears to be vastly different than any other mosquito collected over the four year period.

While most mosquitoes are known to live inside around their greatest source of food, blood, are located, these new mosquitoes typically stay outside.

As most malaria prevention methods involve indoor care, these ‘outside mosquitoes’ present a variety of problems.

Previous studies have failed because outside mosquitoes prevented malaria resistance as most protection exists indoors.

Additionally, researchers noticed these mosquitoes to be very susceptible to parasites known to cause malaria.

Researchers explain they are unsure of how these mosquitoes eat, and if they even eat human blood, and how large of a geographic area these insects cover.

Based on genetic makeup, many experts suggest this classification may be relatively young, but additional research is a necessity.

The study can be found in the journal titled Science.