ScienceDaily (Oct. 21, 2010) — Two strains of the type of mosquito responsible for the majority of malaria transmission in Africa have evolved such substantial genetic differences that they are becoming different species, according to researchers behind two new studies published in the journal Science.

Over 200 million people globally are infected with malaria, according to the World Health Organisation, and the majority of these people are in Africa. Malaria kills one child every 30 seconds.

The international research effort, co-led by scientists from Imperial College London, looks at two strains of the Anopheles gambiae mosquito, the type of mosquito primarily responsible for transmitting malaria in sub-Saharan Africa. These strains, known as M and S, are physically identical. However, the new research shows that their genetic differences are such that they appear to be becoming different species, so efforts to control mosquito populations may be effective against one strain of mosquito but not the other.

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