What if the insects we’ve been trying to kill could actually save our lives?
Mosquitoes, ticks and fleas spread diseases to hundreds of millions of people worldwide each year. But scientists are turning some of these pests into lifesaving tools, using them to detect cancer, stop disease transmission and improve human health in ways that might surprise you.
In this article, we’ll explore the role of insects in medicine and other ways they can help us fight disease. We’ll also introduce medical entomology: the study of how insects transmit disease to humans and animals. If you’re fascinated by insects and want to make a real impact on public health, medical entomology can provide some unique opportunities.
Ants, termites and bees are surprisingly good at public health management. They live in tight quarters, yet they’re constantly keeping disease in check. And they offer real-world insight that can inform the use of insects in medicine research.
Take, for example, how ants prevent disease in their colonies:
Ants clean each other constantly. That small exposure to germs can act like a natural vaccine, helping the colony build immunity. Food sharing can also have the same collective immunization effect.
Ants seem to know instinctively that sick and healthy colony members should stay apart. They practice social distancing by:
Are you the friend that’s always carrying a bottle of hand sanitizer? If so, you’ve got more in common with ants than you think.
Ants secrete antimicrobial compounds from their metapleural glands (MGs): a fascinating feature. But what’s even more interesting is that when researchers exposed ants to fungal spores, the ants ramped up their MG secretions, meaning they actually control this defense mechanism.
Frequent cleaning? Social distancing? Antimicrobial use? These sound a lot like best practices from the COVID-19 pandemic … but insects were doing them first. Who knows what other disease prevention lessons we can learn from the insect world?
Yes, bees can smell fear — or at least the pheromones we release when we experience it. But that’s not the only thing they can detect.
Recent research has shown that honeybees can detect lung cancer in humans. This is one of the most fascinating examples of insects in medicine at work.
Researchers attached electrodes to the odor-processing area of the bees’ brains. They then sprayed aerosolized mixtures simulating the breath of a healthy subject and a lung cancer patient on the bees’ antennae. The bees could tell the difference more than 90% of the time.
Not only that, they could distinguish between types of lung cancer: non-small cell versus the more aggressive small cell variety.
But bees have been providing benefits beyond pollination for years. They can also detect high acetone levels linked to diabetes. Bees’ sense of smell could be a valuable diagnostic tool in medicine.
Insects are plentiful, high in protein and other nutrients, and appetizing. (Okay, there may be some differences of opinion on that last one.)
But eating insects does more than just provide protein. An insect-based diet can offer:
Insect-based diets also have a much smaller environmental footprint and could help reduce food insecurity. Around the world, some cultures already eat:
When a mosquito sticks its mouthparts into our skin to feed, it can leave behind a variety of nasty diseases. But what if it wasn’t carrying that disease in the first place?
One research team infected female mosquitoes — the ones that bite — with Wolbachia bacteria, preventing them from carrying the dengue virus. Scientists are now working to spread this disease-preventing bacteria to larger mosquito populations.
The same approach is being tested on sandflies to combat leishmaniasis, a disease that:
Researchers are altering the sandfly’s gut microbiome so the parasite can’t grow within it. No Leishmania, no disease.
Both pests will still live up to their reputation as bloodsuckers, but their potential as disease vectors can be greatly reduced.
The mosquito is the deadliest disease vector by far. Transmitting some of the deadliest diseases, it “kills more people than any other creature in the world.”
In fact, vector-borne diseases are increasing worldwide. But humans have some insect allies in the fight against mosquitoes, ticks and fleas:
If you’re intrigued by these insect discoveries, medical entomology credentials may be your next step.
Insects have the potential to be much more than pests. They can be tools, teachers and even allies.
Understanding how insects function helps us improve human and animal health, both by managing disease-causing insect populations and recognizing the ways some insects benefit human communities.
Sound like something you want to be part of? UF’s online master’s degree in medical entomology is what you’re looking for. It’s your chance to lead the next wave of discovery with insects in medicine.
Not ready for a full degree? Start with our online Graduate Certificate in Medical Entomology.
Better public health can’t wait — and neither should you. Get started by applying here.
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/search/research-news/10869
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10303143
https://livetoplant.com/using-beneficial-insects-to-combat-plant-disease-risks
https://communities.springernature.com/posts/using-basic-research-in-insect-biology-to-fight-disease
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpt9-Dfj6W0&t=53s
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