全世界已有超過100萬人因感染瘧疾死亡，其中大部分是兒童，而當地球因為全球暖化而持續加熱，這個問題也跟著擴大。衛生官員們表示，致死性的寄生蟲疾病正逐年向溫帶緯度地區蔓延。
現在由美國壬色列理工學院研究者所帶領的國際團隊，發現了一個造成人類及帶病蚊子感染瘧疾的關鍵步驟。
如果在這個鍊狀感染路徑上的這個步驟能夠在病源的蚊子被打破，瘧疾的散播就能夠被停止，而不再需要服藥。
這個研究人員們的發現將會被發表在8月31日出刊的《生物化學期刊（Journal of Biological Chemistry）》。
研究團隊發現攜帶瘧原蟲的人類及蚊子有相同的複合碳水化合物 - 硫酸乙醯肝素。
這種化合物是瘧原蟲在人類及蚊子身上的一個接收物質，它使瘧原蟲在黏結後能輕易且快速地在生物體內各處運行。
擔任研究團隊首席的壬色列理工學院生物催化作用及代謝工程學教授令哈特（Robert Linhardt）表示：「這個發現使我們可以以不同的思考方式去預防瘧疾。如果我們能阻止硫酸乙醯肝素與蚊子體內的瘧原蟲結合，我們不僅能治療這個疾病，還能完全阻止它的散播。」
Malaria kills over one million people around the world, mostly young children. And the problem is growing as the Earth heats up due to global warming. Outbreaks of the deadly parasitic disease are spreading into temperate latitudes a little more each year, health officials report.
Now an international team led by researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has found a key link that causes malarial infection in both humans and the mosquitoes that carry the disease.
If this link in the chain of infection can be broken at its source, the mosquito, then the spread of malaria could be stopped without anyone needing to a take a drug.
The researchers?discovery will be published in the August 31 edition of the "Journal of Biological Chemistry."
The team found that humans and the mosquitoes that carry the malaria parasite share the same complex carbohydrate, heparan sulfate.
In both humans and mosquitoes, heparan sulfate is a receptor for the malaria parasite, binding to the parasite and giving it quick and easy transport through the body.
The team was led by Robert Linhardt, a professor of biocatalysis and metabolic engineering at Rensselaer, who said, "The discovery allows us to think differently about preventing the disease. If we can stop heparan sulfate from binding to the parasite in mosquitoes, we will not just be treating the disease, we will be stopping its spread completely."
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In my healing journey and learning to attain the breath awareness, I become aware of the reality that all the creatures of the world are breathing the same breath. Take action, here and now. From my physical being to the every corner of this out of balance's planet.
