Journal of Prevention and Infection Control Open Access

Fighting malaria using paratransgenic vectors using engineered Enterobacter cloacae expressing defensin

8^th Edition of International Conference on Infectious Diseases

June 07-08, 2018 London, UK

Mohammad Ali Oshaghi, Hossein Dehghan and Seyed Hassan Moosa Kazemi

Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Prev Infect Cntrol

Abstract:

Enterobacter cloacae bacterium is a known symbiont of most Anopheles gut microflora and nominated as a proper candidate for paratransgenic control of malaria. Here, we describe a strategy that uses symbiotic bacteria to deliver anti-malaria effector molecule to the midgut lumen, thus rendering host mosquitoes refractory to malaria infection. Enterobacter cloacae was engineered to secret defensin, a natural plant anti-Plasmodium effector protein. The engineered E. cloacae inhibited oocyst
formation of the rodent malaria parasite Plasmodium berghei by up to 92.8% in Anopheles stephensi. Significantly, the proportion of mosquitoes carrying parasites (prevalence) decreased by up to 75%. Interestingly, the wild strain of E.cloacae could inhibit oocyst formation by up to 72%. These findings provide the foundation for the use of either wild or genetically modified E.cloacae bacteria as a powerful tool to combat malaria.

Email:moshaghi@sina.tums.ac.ir