Fighting mosquito-borne diseases… with mosquitoes

Fighting mosquito-borne diseases… with mosquitoes

Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT), Wolbachia
N. Gubert and A. Baubeau,  Phys Org,  2020. Article

For decades, researchers have scratched their heads over how to combat deadly mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue fever.

But could the solution come from producing mosquitoes?

The French company InnovaFeed, specialised in the production of insects to feed livestock, is partnering with the Australian research World Mosquito Program (WMP) to develop what it says is the first industrial-level production of mosquitoes.

These mosquitoes can then be modified and sent into wild populations in order to keep numbers down.

As infection rates of illnesses carried by mosquitoes increase, companies and researchers are racing to develop effective means of controlling the blood-sucking creatures’ population.

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