Photo of an adult female mosquito of the species Anopheles stephensi after a blood meal on a white background

©BNITM | Dino Schachten

World Malaria Day 2024

Invasive mosquito species jeopardises achievements in the fight against malaria

Climate crisis, globalisation and urbanisation are driving malaria into the cities: A new species of the Anopheles vector mosquito is increasingly spreading in the rapidly growing cities of sub-Saharan Africa in particular. Anopheles stephensi is an adaptation artist: It easily survives the dry season with extreme heat and drought. This poses new challenges for mosquito control and the fight against the parasitic infection itself.

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The photo shows an expectant mother talking to two healthcare workers.

©KCCR

News

Zero maternal mortality at the BNITM's partner hospital

A reduction from 499 deaths to zero within just four years: The Presbyterian Hospital in Agogo, Ghana, has achieved this success. According to the hospital management, one of the main reasons is the intensive cooperation with the scientific community: with the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR), the Kwame Nkrumah University (KNUST) and the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM).

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S. mansoni Granulom: Hämatoxylin/Eosin-Färbung eines Leberschnitts von einer Maus, die 14 Wochen lang mit S. mansoni infiziert war. Vergrößerte Ansicht des Lebergranuloms, das die Parasiteneier umgibt

©BNITM | Imke Liebold

Publication

Nature-changing diet

Macrophages remove dying cells, for example after infections. They are part of the "cleaning team" of our immune system. What is new is that the ingested cells change the function and genetic make-up of macrophages. Researchers from the University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) and at the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM) have discovered this and published their results in the renowned journal "Science".

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©Leibniz Association

Press release

Pandemic preparedness

The new Leibniz Lab "Pandemic Preparedness: One Health, One Future" combines the knowledge and expertise of more than 40 Leibniz Institutes from a wide range of disciplines: from life sciences, health technologies and health economics to educational research. The Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM) is also involved. The new format will be funded for three years from April with three million euros.

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Graphic shows the interaction of the nucleoprotein and Z protein molecules of the Lassa virus

©Sänger et al. (2023) | J Am Chem Soc.

Research Highlight

New role for viral RNA discovered in Lassa virus

The viral genome must be protected from degradation in the host cell: Researchers at the BNITM, in collaboration with several partners, have discovered that viral RNA triggers an important step in this process. They also identified the viral nucleoprotein as a potential target for future antiviral drugs.

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