KUALA LUMPUR Malaysian scientists say they have discovered bacteria which can destroy the larvae of culex mosquitoes, the main carriers of the deadly Japanese encephalitis virus, Reuters reported on Saturday. The group of bacteria, called bacillus sphaericus (BS), was found by a team of researchers at Malaysia's Institute of Medical Research and could help in drastically reducing the spread of the fatal viral infection of the brain. The ***New Straits Times*** newspaper quoted Health Minister Chua Jui Meng as saying that the institute would join hands with a biotechnology firm for mass production of the bacteria. "As we know, Japanese encephalitis did a lot of damage to Malaysia in 1998. Also, about 10,000 cases are reported in Asia every year," Chua said. China, Japan, Indochina, the Indian subcontinent and southeast Asia have been affected by the Japanese encephalitis virus. A total of 105 Malaysians died of the viral disease in 1999.