Malaria: Plastic Thread Developed To Combat Resistant Mosquitoes

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) A new plastic thread is also set to combat resistant malaria-carrying mosquitoes. Researchers at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (EMPA) have developed a novel fibre for this purpose that releases insecticides over a prolonged period. This content was published on November 10, 2026 - 10:47 2 minutes Keystone-SDA

Deutsch de Empa entwickelt Kunststofffaden gegen resistente Malaria-Mücken Original Read more: Empa entwickelt Kunststofffaden gegen resistente Malaria-Mu

The fibres contain liquid insecticides which gradually rise to the surface, EMPA announced on Tuesday.

This development has been driven by the increasing resistance of Anopheles mosquitoes to conventional insecticides. For malaria-endemic areas, repellents are fused directly into the plastic threads of mosquito nets. However, so far this has worked almost exclusively with pyrethroids, to which an increasing number of malaria-carrying mosquitoes are becoming resistant.

Other insecticides can hardly be used in this way because they evaporate at the high temperatures involved in fibre production.

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