Assessing the acoustic behaviour of Anopheles gambiae (s.l.) dsxF mutants: implications for vector control

Release of gene-drive mutants to suppress Anopheles mosquito reproduction is a promising method of malaria control. However, many scientific, regulatory and ethical questions remain before transgenic mosquitoes can be utilised in the field. At a behavioural level, gene-drive carrying mutants should be at least as sexually attractive as the wildtype populations they compete against, with a key element of Anopheles copulation being acoustic courtship. We analysed sound emissions and acoustic preference in a doublesex mutant previously used to collapse Anopheles gambiae (s.l.) cages.

More related to this:

Next-generation gene drive for population modification of the malaria vector mosquito, Anopheles gambiae

Stability properties of underdominance in finite subdivided populations

Mutant bugs released to fight disease

On the role of lethal mutants in the control of populations

Meiotic drive by the Y-linked D gene in Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera : Culicidae) is associated with disruption of spermiogenesis, leading to premature senescence of spermatozoa