In Bid To End Elephantiasis, DNA Barcoding Of Mosquito Species Deployed

New biotechnologies that allow scientists to quickly and accurately distinguish species based on a simple DNA analysis are being creatively deployed for the first time in the war against a major global disease. The University of Ghana, supported by the Philadelphia-based JRS Biodiversity Foundation, is pioneering the use of DNA “barcodes” to map menacing mosquito species in West Africa that spread lymphatic filariasis (LF), commonly known as elephantiasis.

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Filed under: Biology on May 3rd, 2009