A new study suggests a surprising and potentially game-changing approach to stopping malaria that involves turning human blood into a death sentence for mosquitos. The secret lies in an existing drug called nitisinone, which, once ingested by the insects, kills them within hours.
Researchers at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine discovered this effect by testing mosquitoes that fed on the blood of three people already taking nitisinone for a rare genetic condition. The results were immediate. Every mosquito died within 12 hours, suggesting that the human blood they drank had become poison for them.
That alone could make this drug a novel tool in our ongoing fight against one of the deadliest diseases on Earth. Using other medicines to turn human blood into poison for mosquitos isn’t a new concept, either. Ivermectin, another medication, has been used experimentally to achieve a similar effect.
But nitisinone offers distinct advantages, the researchers say. It works faster, sticks around longer in the bloodstream, and doesn’t target the nervous system. This means it’s less likely to harm other insects like bees or butterflies. And that last point is extremely crucial in any large-scale rollout where environmental impact is a concern.
Researchers are calling this a promising addition to our arsenal, one that could be especially powerful in regions where malaria still claims hundreds of thousands of lives each year. The fact that the drug is already approved for use in humans speeds up the process of getting it into broader testing—possibly even mass drug administration programs if future studies support its safety and efficacy.
Still, there are challenges. The ecological impact of long-term use of the drug to turn human blood to poison for mosquitos needs deeper study. Scientists also caution against underestimating the mosquito’s ability to adapt, as resistance to the drug is always a risk. Plus, public health programs would need careful design to avoid overuse and unintended consequences.
But the appeal is clear. Unlike spraying pesticides, relying on mosquito deterrents and nets, or even genetically modified mosquitos to help cull the population, this strategy flips the script entirely.
Instead of protecting humans from bites, it turns us into the danger. When a mosquito drinks from someone taking nitisinone, it’s not walking away, as human blood becomes poisonous for mosquitos when nitisinone is present.
If future studies confirm what these early results suggest, nitisinone could redefine what it means to control mosquito populations by quietly turning to poison the very thing mosquitos love: human blood.
