Scientists disable protective gene in mosquitoes, making them susceptible to disease
Scientists disable protective gene in mosquitoes, making them susceptible to disease
Tags: Aedes, Arbovirus, Genetic biocontrolTexas A&M University, Phys Org, 2023.
Immune pathways that protect mosquitoes from human pathogens, including West Nile, Zika and dengue viruses were disabled by Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists. The research study, “RNA interference is essential to modulating the pathogenesis of mosquito-borne viruses in the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti,” published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, showed that the mosquito vector species Aedes aegypti becomes acutely susceptible to disease when the protective immune pathway is disabled. This discovery provides new insight into the ecological and evolutionary interactions occurring between mosquitoes and the pathogens they transmit to humans and animals.
