Millions of Lab-Grown Mosquitoes Are Being Released in Guangzhou
Millions of Lab-Grown Mosquitoes Are Being Released in Guangzhou
Tags: Aedes, Cytoplasmic incompatibility, Genetic biocontrol, WolbachiaF. Yiying, Sixth Tone, 2021.
Guangzhou is releasing millions of lab-engineered mosquitoes every day to neuter and prevent preexisting mosquitoes in the environment from spreading vector-borne diseases, local television station reported Saturday.The Guangzhou Wolbaki Biotech Co., Ltd., in partnership with the city’s disease control and prevention bureau, releases about five million lab-grown male mosquitoes daily, which only mate with aedes albopictus mosquitoes to stop them from reproducing disease-carrying offspring, according to the media report. Only female aedes albopictus, also known as tiger mosquitoes, prey on people, potentially transmitting the viruses that cause dengue and chikungunya, among other illnesses.The biotech company’s “mosquito factory” in Guangzhou — where dengue fever is a public health concern — breeds mosquitoes to produce offspring carrying the Wolbachia bacteria, which is commonly found in insects and not harmful to humans, before releasing them to the environment. When mosquitoes carrying Wolbachia mate with aedes albopictus, it reduces the replication of the viruses they carry, making them less likely to transmit it to humans.
Guangzhou is releasing millions of lab-engineered mosquitoes every day to neuter and prevent preexisting mosquitoes in the environment from spreading vector-borne diseases, local television station reported Saturday.The Guangzhou Wolbaki Biotech Co., Ltd., in partnership with the city’s disease control and prevention bureau, releases about five million lab-grown male mosquitoes daily, which only mate with aedes albopictus mosquitoes to stop them from reproducing disease-carrying offspring, according to the media report. Only female aedes albopictus, also known as tiger mosquitoes, prey on people, potentially transmitting the viruses that cause dengue and chikungunya, among other illnesses.The biotech company’s “mosquito factory” in Guangzhou — where dengue fever is a public health concern — breeds mosquitoes to produce offspring carrying the Wolbachia bacteria, which is commonly found in insects and not harmful to humans, before releasing them to the environment. When mosquitoes carrying Wolbachia mate with aedes albopictus, it reduces the replication of the viruses they carry, making them less likely to transmit it to humans.
