Mosquitoes could stop the next pandemic

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Bats are reservoirs for several deadly viruses from Ebola to the coronavirus. This is thanks to their strong immune systems, which allow them to stay healthy while carrying pathogens that are deadly to people. But research published by a group of Chinese scientists suggests that mosquitoes could be used to immunise bats against these diseases and prevent spillovers to livestock and humans. They fed mosquitoes blood laced with a rabies and Nipah vaccine, which then reproduced inside the insects and built up in their salivary glands. Bats bitten by these mosquitoes then developed antibodies against the viruses. Deploying vaccine-carrying mosquitoes in the wild would need regulatory approval. But the results suggest the approach could provide a new way of preventing outbreaks of diseases like Covid-19.