Each week, this unique facility churns out over 30 million adult Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, known for their distinct white polka dots on wiry black legs. These mosquitoes are not your ordinary disease carriers — they are special. They carry a specific type of bacteria capable of neutralizing deadly arboviruses like dengue and yellow fever.
The idea behind this experiment, developed by entomologists over 50 years ago, was to disarm mosquitoes instead of killing them. By infecting mosquitoes with a parasitic bacteria called Wolbachia, which naturally exists in various insect species, the researchers hoped to render disease-spreading mosquito species harmless. The challenge was infecting the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes with Wolbachia, as they are not naturally prone to carrying the bacteria.
Through meticulous trial and error, researchers discovered a way to insert Wolbachia into mosquito eggs using tiny needles. The resulting mosquitoes thrived with the bacteria and became virus-blockers. When a Wolbachia-infected mosquito bit someone with dengue, it couldn’t transfer the virus to the next person it bit. This breakthrough led scientists to question if it was possible to infect all mosquitoes in a city and effectively eliminate the disease without harming the ecosystem.
Testing began in small towns in Australia, followed by Vietnam and Indonesia. In areas where Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes were released, cases of dengue dramatically decreased. In a small Indonesian city, there was a 77% reduction in dengue cases reported and an 86% decrease in hospitalizations after three years of implementing the Wolbachia method.
Dengue is a debilitating disease that affects millions of people worldwide each year. It causes immense suffering and can lead to fatal hemorrhage. With no antiviral drugs available, finding a safe and effective vaccine has been a challenge. The spread of dengue is accelerating due to climate change, expanding its reach to new regions.
The Wolbachia method offers hope in the fight against dengue. If Wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes can replace local populations, the bacteria could become established, eliminating the need for further mosquito control. Trials have been conducted in Brazil, Malaysia, and now in Medellín, Colombia, the largest test to date.
To produce enough mosquitoes for this large-scale endeavor, the World Mosquito Program lab in Medellín has set up a complex production process. Females are fed on donated blood and horse blood, after which they lay eggs that hatch into larvae and eventually become pupae. Before transitioning to adulthood, the pupae are sorted by sex and placed in mesh cages. Hundreds of thousands of adult mosquitoes are then released into neighborhoods as part of the program’s efforts.
This innovative approach to combating mosquito-borne diseases shows promise in controlling and reducing the impact of dengue. As the world continues to grapple with the spread of diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, projects like these offer a glimmer of hope for a healthier future.
Denial of responsibility! Vigour Times is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
