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[Michaelangelica]

Edible fish may be key to fighting malaria

A Kenyan-led study suggests the Nile tilapia -- a commonly eaten fish in Kenya -- can help fight malaria mosquitoes.

Annabel Howard and Francois Omlin of the International Center of Insect Physiology and Ecology in Nairobi, Kenya, introduced Nile tilapia (Oreochronmis niloticus L) to abandoned fishponds in western Kenya.

The researchers then monitored pond life, comparing the restocked ponds with a nearby control pond. After 15 weeks the scientists found the fish had reduced both Anopheles gambiae s.l. and Anopheles funestus, the region's primary malaria vectors, by more than 94 percent, as well as decimating three quarters of the culicine mosquito population.

The findings suggest Kenyans can use the fish to limit mosquito populations, and also get food and income from them, the scientists said.

O. niloticus fish were so effective in reducing immature mosquito populations that there is likely to be a noticeable effect on the adult mosquito population in the area, Howard said, noting the control method is apparently sustainable, since the fish breed and provide a continuous population.

The research is available in the online journal BMC Public Health.
Copyright 2007 by United Press International

Publication date: 13 August 2007

Source: UPI-1-20070813-15222100-bc-kenya-malaria.xml

Edible fish may be key to fighting malaria