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In this regular feature on Breakthroughs, we highlight some of the most interesting reads in global health research from the past week. A new tool developed by the University of Greenwich uses hot water and human scent to lure and trap mosquitoes. The tool is a simple black bucket attached to a wind tunnel that blows warm air with a human scent. The mosquitoes, initially attracted to the scent, are lured to the bucket, and then use the thermal indicators of the warm water to land. The bucket itself is covered in a sticky plastic that traps the mosquitoes. This tool is inexpensive, easy to build, and has proven to be effective in trapping large amounts of the insect. The developers are testing the prototype in three African nations and believe the tool could be a breakthrough in reducing mosquito-borne diseases. Pew Charitable Trusts has announced it will create a new cloud-based digital platform to allow researchers to share data and collaborate to discover new antibiotics to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR). As AMR levels continue to rise across the globe, scientists are moving quickly to discover new antibiotics that can treat resistant strains of viruses and bacteria. The platform will host a “virtual laboratory” for scientists to collaborate and crowdsource information to break through common obstacles and limitations associated with discovering new antibiotics. The system is expected to launch within a year. Antibiotic use in Chinese factory farms is expected to double by 2030, causing concern in the science community. Because more than half of the antibiotics used globally are used in China, scientists are worried that increased use in the poultry industry could accelerate the growth of antimicrobial resistance. Researchers are also concerned the industry practices have made avian flu an increasing global threat. The global livestock industry has been under scrutiny for years following a major dirty meat scandal involving major fast food chains, highlighting continued issues with the worldwide impact of food supply chains. Scientists urge changes to make livestock healthier, reduce greenhouse gases, and track the global movement of meat.

In this regular feature on Breakthroughs, we highlight some of the most interesting reads in global health research from the past week. Scientists at the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases have developed a Zika transmission model using mice in order to model the virus’ transmission from human-to-human. While humans are naturally more susceptible to contracting Zika than mice are, scientists were able to use genetically modified mice to validly mimic the transmission. Scientists found that while vertical transmission is possible from mother to fetus, some of the fetuses were not infected with the disease, suggesting the placenta is capable of being an effective barrier to the disease. They also found that Zika can be found in the lymph nodes, suggesting the virus can infect more areas of the body than previously thought. The World Health Organization has provisionally recommended the use of a new insecticide bed net, the Interceptor G2, which is capable of killing up to 75 percent of mosquitos that have become resistant to a common insecticide. The Interceptor G2 bed net combines two different insecticides: pyrethroid, which is currently used in insecticide-treated nets, and chlorfenapyr, an insecticide previously only used in agricultural settings. Studies in sub-Saharan Africa have yielded promising outcomes, with the nets remaining effective even after having been washing up to 20 times. Three studies recently published in Emerging Infectious Diseases found new treatments against multidrug resistant (MDR) and extensively drug resistant (XDR) tuberculosis (TB) are delivering positive results. The largest study focused on a year-long delamanid treatment for 53 MDR-TB patients. Following treatment, 73.6 percent had a favorable response, with 67.6 percent of participants having multiple negative TB cultures. The second study analyzed bedaquiline therapy on 27 children with both MDR- and XDR-TB, and found that of the 23 children that remained a part of the study over the year, all had negative cultures. The third study was retroactive, with researchers observing combined bedaquiline and delamanid therapies in XDR-TB patients. In a total of five participants, researchers found one was culture negative, three were continuing treatment, and one had died. While these studies all have small sample sizes, preliminary data suggests these drugs have a high efficacy in treating resistant strains of TB.