Keywords: Aedes

Synthetic Homing Endonuclease Gene Drives to Revolutionise Aedes aegypti Biocontrol – Game Changer or Pipe Dream?

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Joshua X.D. Ang, Sebald A.N. Verkuijl, Michelle A.E. Anderson, Luke Alphey,  Current Opinion in Insect Science,  2025.
The increasing burden of Aedes aegypti-borne diseases, particularly dengue, is a growing global concern, further exacerbated by climate change. Current control strategies have proven insufficient, necessitating novel approaches. Synthetic homing endonuclease gene (sHEG) drives ...

Comparison of oviposition and adult trapping to monitor wMel introgression for Wolbachia-based vector control

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Nelson, E., Pereira, T.N., Ribeiro E., et al.,  bioRxiv,  2025.
Wolbachia introgression into Aedes aegypti mosquito populations has been shown to be effective in preventing dengue and is being evaluated for WHO prequalification. Monitoring the long-term introgression of Wolbachia (wMel)-positive Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, however, requires ...

Mosquito Sex Separation using Complementation of Selectable Traits and Engineered Neo-Sex Chromosomes

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Zaada, D.S.Y., Toren, O., Krsticevic, F., et al.,  bioRxiv,  2025.
Effective and scalable sex separation remains a critical challenge for mosquito genetic control strategies. Genetic sexing strains (GSS) address this by genetically linking maleness with selectable traits, enabling efficient removal of females before release. Here, we describe a ...

Genetically modified mosquitoes released in the US: How they can prevent disease outbreaks

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TOI Lifestyle Desk,  Times of India,  2025.
The menace of mosquito-borne illnesses is growing in the US and the contributing factors range from climate change to their expanding habitats. The solution could lie in genetically modified mosquitoes that hold the capability to effectively control mosquito populations. ...

Mark-Release-Recapture of Packed and Shipped Aedes aegypti with Wolbachia: Implications for Conducting Remote Incompatible Insect Technique Programs

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Ohm, J. R., Lynd, A., McGowan, A., et al.,  The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene,  2025.
Male mosquitoes containing the endosymbiont Wolbachia (Wb+) can be used as a tool to suppress wild mosquito populations through a technique termed incompatible insect technique (IIT). IIT programs reduce wild mosquitoes via incompatible matings between released males and wild ...

3 reasons why the release of GM mosquitoes in Queensland is risky

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Dr. Perran Stott-Ross,  University of Melbourne,  2025.
The British company Oxitec, in partnership with Australia's CSIRO, has announced plans to release genetically modified (GM) mosquitoes in Queensland. The initiative aims to reduce transmission of the dengue virus, as well as other pathogens spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito by ...

Exploiting venom toxins in paratransgenesis to prevent mosquito-borne disease

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French, S., Da Silva, R., Storm, J. et al.,  Parasites & Vectors,  18. 2025.
Mosquitoes are responsible for the transmission of numerous pathogens, including Plasmodium parasites, arboviruses and filarial worms. They pose a significant risk to public health with over 200 million cases of malaria per annum and approximately 4 billion people at risk of ...

Implications of successive blood feeding on Wolbachia-mediated dengue virus inhibition in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes

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Rebecca M. Johnson, Mallery I. Breban, Braiya L. Nolan, et al.,  bioRxiv,  2025.
Dengue virus (DENV) is a mosquito-borne virus that poses a continued and increasing threat to public health. A promising strategy to mitigate the burden of DENV is introgression of the virus-inhibiting Wolbachia pipientis bacterium into Aedes aegypti populations in the field. ...

Suppression of Aedes aegypti may not affect sympatric Aedes albopictus populations: findings from two years of entomological surveillance in Singapore

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Wong, W.J., Tan, C.H., Verkaik, M.G. et al.,  Scientific Reports,  15:2253. 2025.
Globally, multiple trials have successfully demonstrated the effectiveness of novel tools, such as the sterile and incompatible insect techniques, in suppressing Aedes aegypti populations. However, there is concern that Aedes albopictus, another arbovirus-competent vector, may ...

Assessing Radiation-Induced Enzyme Activation in Aedes aegypti: Potential Challenges for SIT-Based Vector Management

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Edvane Borges da Silva, Sloana Giesta Lemos Florêncio, Ademir Amaral, et al.,  Acta Tropica,  261. 2025.
This study characterizes the Aedes aegypti population from Fernando de Noronha Island, Pernambuco, Brazil, prior to implementing the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT). The main objective was to assess changes in glutathione S-transferase (GST) enzyme activity, previously linked to ...

Assessment of drive efficiency and resistance allele formation of a homing gene drive in the mosquito Aedes aegypti

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Yang, X., Xu, X., Chen, Y. et al.,  Journal of Pest Science,  2025.
Aedes aegypti, known for transmitting viruses such as dengue, Zika and yellow fever, poses a significant public health threat. Conventional insecticides give rise to a range of issues, including ecological contamination and insect resistance. Hence, there is a pressing demand for ...

Recommendations for Implementing Innovative Technologies to Control Aedes aegypti: Population Suppression Using a Combination of the Incompatible and Sterile Insect Techniques (IIT-SIT), Based on the Mexican Experience/Initiative

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Martín-Park, A., Contreras-Perera, Y., et al.,  Insects,  15:987. 2025.
The future of Aedes aegypti control emphasizes the transition from traditional insecticides toward more sustainable and multisectoral integrated strategies, like using Wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes for population suppression or replacement. We reviewed the integration of the ...

Variable effects of transient Wolbachia infections on alphaviruses in Aedes aegypti

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Brittany L. Dodson, Sujit Pujhari, et al.,  PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases,  2024.
Wolbachia pipientis (= Wolbachia) has promise as a tool to suppress virus transmission by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. However, Wolbachia can have variable effects on mosquito-borne viruses. This variation remains poorly characterized, yet the multimodal effects of Wolbachia on ...

Evaluation of Wolbachia infection in Aedes aegypti suggests low prevalence and highly heterogeneous distribution in Medellín, Colombia

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rley Calle-Tobón, Raúl Rojo-Ospina, et al.,  Acta Tropica,  260. 2024.
Dengue virus, transmitted mainly by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, is a significant public health challenge in tropical and subtropical countries, with an incidence that is growing at an alarming rate. The release of Wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes has been suggested as a strategy to ...

Assessment of drive efficiency and resistance allele formation of a homing gene drive in the mosquito Aedes aegypti

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Xiaozhen Yang, Xuejiao Xu, et al.,  bioRxiv,  2024.
Aedes aegypti, known for transmitting viruses such as dengue, zika, and yellow fever, poses a significant public health threat. Conventional insecticides give rise to a range of issues, including ecological contamination and insect resistance. Hence, there is a pressing demand ...

Wolbachia infection in Aedes aegypti does not affect its vectorial capacity for Dirofilaria immitis

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Shirozu, T., Regilme, M.A.F., Ote, M. et al.,  Scientific Reports,  14. 2024.
Mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue and filariasis are a growing public health concern in endemic countries. Biological approaches, such as the trans-infection of Wolbachia pipientis in mosquitoes, are an alternative vector control strategy, especially for arthropod-borne ...

Current status of the sterile insect technique for the suppression of mosquito populations on a global scale

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Bouyer, J.,  Infectious Diseases of Poverty,  13. 2024.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has emphasized the urgent need for alternative strategies to chemical insecticides for controlling mosquito populations, particularly the invasive Aedes species, which are known vectors of arboviruses. Among these alternative approaches, the ...

10 myths and misconceptions around modified mosquitoes

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Milliam Murigi,  k24,  2024.
In the fight against mosquito-borne diseases, scientists have turned to groundbreaking genetic technologies to reduce disease transmission. However, Genetically Modified (GM) mosquitoes have raised concerns and sparked myths and misconceptions around it. Abraham Isah, OFAB ...

Mark–Release–Recapture Trial with Aedes albopictus (Diptera, Culicidae) Irradiated Males: Population Parameters and Climatic Factors

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Amaro FIF, Soares P, Velo E, et al,  Insects,  15. 2024.
Aedes albopictus mosquitoes spread arboviruses like dengue, Zika, or chikungunya. The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) can be used as a prevention and control tool against Ae. albopictus populations. Mark–release–recapture (MRR) trials are fundamental to estimate the size of ...

Effectiveness of Wolbachia-mediated sterility coupled with sterile insect technique to suppress adult Aedes aegypti populations in Singapore: a synthetic control study

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Bansal, Somya, et al.,  The Lancet Planetary Health,  8:617-628. 2024.
In this synthetic control study, we conducted a large-scale, field trial of IIT-SIT targeting Aedes aegypti among high-rise public housing estates in Singapore, an equatorial city state. Routinely collected data from a large, nationwide surveillance system of 57 990 unique ...

Bunyamwera Virus Infection of Wolbachia-Carrying Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes Reduces Wolbachia Density

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Lefteri, D.A.; Rainey, S.M.; Murdochy, S.M.; Sinkins, S.P.,  Viruses,  16. 2024.
Wolbachia symbionts introduced into Aedes mosquitoes provide a highly effective dengue virus transmission control strategy, increasingly utilised in many countries in an attempt to reduce disease burden. Whilst highly effective against dengue and other positive-sense RNA viruses, ...

Excess Lipids Keep Dengue at Bay

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Shelby Bradford,  The Scientist,  2024.
The Aedes aegypti mosquito can transmit dengue virus; however, infection with endosymbiotic bacteria from the Wolbachia genus reduces viral transmission from these insects. Consequently, Wolbachia-infected mosquitos are one biocontrol agent used in areas with endemic dengue ...

Optimizing and synchronizing Aedes aegypti colony for Sterile Insect Technique application: Egg hatching, larval development, and adult emergence rate

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Jennifer Thieme Castellon, Solomon Kibret Birhanie, Ale Macias, Rubi Casas, Jacob Hans, Michelle Q. Brown,  Acta Tropica,  259. 2024.
Mosquito Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) programs can be developed in smaller agencies through synchronization of the colony development to take advantage of the natural male early emergence. This paper examined key aspects of Ae. aegypti colony synchronization work, including egg ...

A comprehensive review of Wolbachia-mediated mechanisms to control dengue virus transmission in Aedes aegypti through innate immune pathways

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Iqra Mushtaq, Muhammad Sajjad Sarwar, Iqra Munzoor,  Viral Immunology,  15. 2024.
The Dengue virus (DENV), primarily spread by Aedes aegypti and also by Aedes albopictus in some regions, poses significant global health risks. Alternative techniques are urgently needed because the current control mechanisms are insufficient to reduce the transmission of DENV. ...

Revisiting Wolbachia detections: Old and new issues in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and other insects

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Perran A. Ross, Ary A. Hoffmann,  Ecology and Evolution,  14. 2024.
Wolbachia continue to be reported in species previously thought to lack them, particularly Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. The presence of Wolbachia in this arbovirus vector is considered important because releases of mosquitoes with transinfected Wolbachia are being used around the ...

The race against time to defeat mosquito-borne diseases

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Michael Peel,  Financial Times,  2024.
Deep in the bowels of Imperial College London’s main campus is a facility known as the insectary. The journey to it, via basement corridors and an entrance that sounds an alarm upon opening, feels like something out of a horror film. Beyond two sets of double doors lies the ...

Comparing the long-term persistence of different Wolbachia strains after the release of bacteria-carrying mosquitoes

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Jose L. Orozco-Gonzales, Antone dos Santos Benedito, Daiver Cardona-Salgado et al.,  Mathematical Biosciences,  372. 2024.
This paper proposes a bidimensional modeling framework for Wolbachia invasion, assuming imperfect maternal transmission, incomplete cytoplasmic incompatibility, and direct infection loss due to thermal stress. Our model adapts to various Wolbachia strains and retains all ...

A naturally isolated symbiotic bacterium suppresses flavivirus transmission by Aedes mosquitoes

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Liming Zhang et al.,  Science,  384. 2024.
Flavivirus diseases are increasing in incidence and prevalence owing to the urban proclivities of its Aedes mosquito vector species. Extirpation of mosquitoes is considered key for the control of several human diseases but often involves toxic chemicals that prompt mosquito ...

Economic optimization of Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti release to prevent dengue

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Hollingsworth BD, Cho C, Vella M, Roh H, Sass J, Lloyd AL, Brown ZS.,  Pest Management Science,  2024.
Dengue virus, primarily transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, is a major public health concern affecting ≈3.83 billion people worldwide. Recent releases of Wolbachia-transinfected Ae. aegypti in several cities worldwide have shown that it can reduce dengue transmission. ...

The Perpetual Vector Mosquito Threat and Its Eco-Friendly Nemeses

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Miranda, L.S.; Rudd, S.R.; Mena, O.; Hudspeth, P.E.; Barboza-Corona, J.E.; Park, H.-W.; Bideshi, D.K.,  Biology,  13:182. 2024.
Aedes, Culex, and Anopheles mosquitoes are the most prolific arthropod vectors of viral and parasitic agents of debilitating and lethal diseases in humans and animals. Despite some success in integrated pest management programs to control vectors, mosquito-borne diseases, such as ...

Detection and quantification of natural Wolbachia in Aedes aegypti in Metropolitan Manila, Philippines using locally designed primers

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Reyes JIL, Suzuki T, Suzuki Y, Watanabe K.,  Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology,  2024.
The Philippines bears health and economic burden caused by high dengue cases annually. Presently, the Philippines still lack an effective and sustainable vector management. The use of Wolbachia, a maternally transmitted bacterium, that mitigate arbovirus transmission has been ...

Monitoring Aedes populations for arboviruses, Wolbachia, insecticide resistance and its mechanisms in various agroecosystems in Benin

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S. Ateutchia-Ngouanet, F. Nanfack-Minkeu, K. Mavridis, S. Wanji, M. Demanou, J. Vontas, R. Djouaka,  Acta Tropica,  253. 2024.
The susceptibility of arbovirus vectors to insecticides and the microbiome of Aedes species are understudied in Benin.

Wolbachia strain wAlbB shows favourable characteristics for dengue control use in Aedes aegypti from Burkina Faso

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Maria Vittoria Mancini, Shivan M. Murdochy, Etienne Bilgo, Thomas H. Ant, Daniel Gingell, Edounou Jacques Gnambani, Anna-Bella Failloux, Abdoulaye Diabate, Steven P. Sinkins,  Environmental Microbiology,  26. 2024.
Dengue represents an increasing public health burden worldwide.

Alpha-mannosidase-2 modulates arbovirus infection in a pathogen- and Wolbachia-specific manner in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes

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Nadya Urakova, Renuka E. Joseph, Allyn Huntsinger, Vanessa M. Macias, Matthew J. Jones, Leah T. Sigle, Ming Li, Omar S. Akbari, Zhiyong Xi, Konstantinos Lymperopoulos, Richard T. Sayre, Elizabeth A. McGraw, Jason L. Rasgon,  Insect Molecular Biology,  2024.
Multiple Wolbachia strains can block pathogen infection, replication and/or transmission in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes under both laboratory and field conditions.

Brazil’s record dengue surge: why a vaccine campaign is unlikely to stop it

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Mariana Lenharo,  Nature,  2024.
A vaccine shortage and persistent sanitation problems threaten the success of the world’s first public vaccination campaign against dengue virus.

Acceptability of emergent Aedes aegypti vector control methods in Ponce, Puerto Rico: A qualitative assessment

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Pérez-Guerra CL, Rosado-Santiago C, Ramos SA, Marrero-Santos KM, González-Zeno G, Partridge SK, et al.,  PLoS Global Public Health,  2024.
Aedes aegypti control has been fraught with challenges in Puerto Rico. The government has implemented commonly used vector control methods, but arboviral epidemics still occur. It is necessary to explore new Ae. aegypti control methods. This study aimed to understand the ...

Efficacy of Wolbachia-based mosquito control: Predictions of a spatially discrete mathematical model

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David Dye, John W. Cain,  PLoS One,  19. 2024.
Wolbachia is an endosymbiont bacterium present in many insect species. When Wolbachia-carrying male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes mate with non-carrier females, their embryos are not viable due to cytoplasmic incompatibility. This phenomenon has been exploited successfully for the ...

Aedes aegypti Controls Ae. aegypti: SIT and IIT—An Overview

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Robert L. Aldridge; Seth Gibson; Kenneth J. Linthicum,  Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association,  20:32-49. 2024.
The sterile insect technique (SIT) and the incompatible insect technique (IIT) are emerging and potentially revolutionary tools for controlling Aedes aegypti (L.), a prominent worldwide mosquito vector threat to humans that is notoriously difficult to reduce or eliminate in ...

DENV-1 Titer Impacts Viral Blocking in wMel Aedes aegypti with Brazilian Genetic Background

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Corrêa-Antônio, Jessica, Mariana R. David, Dinair Couto-Lima, Gabriela Azambuja Garcia, Milan S. G. Keirsebelik, Rafael Maciel-de-Freitas, and Márcio Galvão Pavan.,  Viruses,  16. 2024.
Several countries have been using Wolbachia deployments to replace highly competent native Aedes aegypti populations with Wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes with lower susceptibility to arboviruses such as dengue, Zika, and chikungunya. In Rio de Janeiro, Wolbachia deployments started ...

Mosquito Control releases over 100K sterile male mosquitos to combat Aedes aegypti population

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NBC2 News,  2024.
Mosquito Control releases over 100K sterile male mosquitos to combat Aedes aegypti population

Gene Drive Systems To Control Aedes Aegypti Mosquitoes Make Headway

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Joshua Ang,  Outreach Network for Gene Drive Research,  2024.
Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are known vectors of several diseases, including dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, and Zika, which impact millions of people worldwide each year. The effectiveness of existing insecticide-based methods to control this mosquito is threatened by growing ...

Introduction of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes carrying wAlbB Wolbachia sharply decreases dengue incidence in disease hotspots

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AA Hoffmann, NW Ahmad, WM Keong, CY Ling, NA Ahmad, N. Golding, N. Tierney, J. Jelip, PW Putit, N Mohktar, SS Sandhu, LS Ming, et al.,  iScience,  2024.
Partial replacement of resident Aedes aegypti mosquitoes with introduced mosquitoes carrying certain strains of inherited Wolbachia symbionts can result in transmission blocking of dengue and other viruses of public health importance. Wolbachia strain wAlbB is an effective ...

New gene-editing tools may help wipe out mosquito-borne diseases

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Greg Allen,  NPR,  2024.
In the age-old war of human versus mosquitoes, the bugs have been winning. At least 700,000 people die every year from mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue, West Nile and yellow fever. Global trade and climate change have helped disease-carrying species become ...

A multiplexed, confinable CRISPR/Cas9 gene drive can propagate in caged Aedes aegypti populations

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Anderson, M.A.E., Gonzalez, E., Edgington, M.P. et al.,  Nature Communications,  15. 2024.
Aedes aegypti is the main vector of several major pathogens including dengue, Zika and chikungunya viruses. Classical mosquito control strategies utilizing insecticides are threatened by rising resistance. This has stimulated interest in new genetic systems such as gene ...

Maxizyme-mediated suppression of chikungunya virus replication and transmission in transgenic Aedes aegypti mosquitoes

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Mishra P, Balaraman V, Fraser Jr. M,  Frontiers in Microbiology,  14. 2024.
Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an emerging mosquito-borne pathogen of significant public health importance. There are currently no prophylactic vaccines or therapeutics available to control CHIKV. One approach to arbovirus control that has been proposed is the replacement of ...

Mosquito makeover: Tahiti’s groundbreaking solution to disease

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Atutahi Potaka-Dewes,  Pacific Media Network,  2024.
Mosquitoes are responsible for transmitting such diseases as dengue, malaria, zika, chikungunya, or filariosis, causing millions of deaths worldwide. French Polynesia is taking a groundbreaking initiative to address public health concerns and demonstrate a commitment to finding ...

Antiviral Wolbachia strains associate with Aedes aegypti endoplasmic reticulum membranes and induce lipid droplet formation to restrict dengue virus replication

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Robson K. Loterio, Ebony A. Monson, Rachel Templin, Jyotika T. de Bruyne, Heather A. Flores, Jason M. Mackenzie, Georg Ramm, Karla J. Helbig, Cameron P. Simmons, Johanna E. Fraser,  Applied and Environmental Microbiology,  2023.
Wolbachia are a genus of insect endosymbiotic bacteria which includes strains wMel and wAlbB that are being utilized as a biocontrol tool to reduce the incidence of Aedes aegypti-transmitted viral diseases like dengue. However, the precise mechanisms underpinning the antiviral ...

Rapid turnover of pathogen-blocking Wolbachia and their incompatibility loci

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Shropshire JD, Conner WR, Vanderpool D, Hoffmann AA, Turelli M, Cooper BS.,  bioRxiv,  2023.
At least half of all insect species carry maternally inherited Wolbachia alphaproteobacteria, making Wolbachia the most common endosymbionts in nature. Wolbachia spread to high frequencies is often due to cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), a Wolbachia -induced sperm modification ...

Procesos celulares modificados en Aedes aegypti infectados con Wolbachia y la susceptibilidad al virus dengue

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López-Ordóñez T, Díaz-Rodarte KI, Torres-Monzón JA, Casas-Martínez M, Danis-Lozano R, Mosso-González C.,  Salud Pública de México,  2023.
Objetivo: Analizar la expresión diferencial de proteínas de Aedes aegypti infectados con Wolbachia y su asociación con el ciclo viral del virus dengue (DENV). Material y métodos. Se revisó una base de datos de proteínas de Ae. aegypti infec-tados y no infectados con ...

Aerial release of Aedes aegypti male mosquitoes using an unmanned aerial vehicle: a novel control strategy

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Valdez-Delgado KM, Ríos-Delgado JC, Nettel-Cruz JA, Angulo-Kladt R, Villarreal-Treviño C.,  Salud Pública de México,  65. 2023.
Objective. To development of a methodology for the chilling, handling, transport, and release of male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, reared in insectary conditions to release in the field with unmanned vehicles to compete sexually with wild males in the field. Materials and methods. A ...

Reduced dengue incidence following city-wide wMel Wolbachia mosquito releases throughout three Colombian cities: Interrupted time series analysis and a prospective case-control study

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Velez ID, Tanamas SK, Arbelaez MP, Kutcher SC, Duque SL, Uribe A, et al.,  PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases,  2023.
The introduction of Wolbachia (wMel strain) into Aedes aegypti mosquitoes reduces their capacity to transmit dengue and other arboviruses. Randomised and non-randomised studies in multiple countries have shown significant reductions in dengue incidence following field ...

Large-scale releases and establishment of wMel Wolbachia in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes throughout the Cities of Bello, Medellín and Itagüí, Colombia

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Velez ID, Uribe A, Barajas J, Uribe S, Ángel S, Suaza-Vasco JD, et al.,  PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases,  2023.
The wMel strain of Wolbachia has been successfully introduced into Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and has been shown to reduce the transmission of dengue and other Aedes-borne viruses. Here we report the entomological results from phased, large-scale releases ...

Wolbachia Transinfection Via Embryonic Microinjection

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Zhang, M., Xi, Z.,  Methods in Molecular Biology,  2739. 2023.
The process of transferring Wolbachia from one species to another to establish a stable, maternally inherited infection in the target species is known as transinfection. The success of transinfection is primarily achieved through embryonic microinjection, which is the most direct ...

Different mechanisms of X-ray irradiation-induced male and female sterility in Aedes aegypti

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Zhang, H., Trueman, E., Hou, X. et al.,  BMC Biology,  21. 2023.
Aedes aegypti (Ae. aegypti) is the major vector that transmits many diseases including dengue, Zika, and filariasis in tropical and subtropical regions. Due to the growing resistance to chemical-based insecticides, biological control methods have become an emerging direction to ...

Efficient sex separation by exploiting differential alternative splicing of a dominant marker in Aedes aegypti

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Shih-Che Weng, Igor Antoshechkin, Eric Marois, Omar S. Akbari,  PLoS Genetics,  2023.
Only female mosquitoes consume blood giving them the opportunity to transmit deadly human pathogens. Therefore, it is critical to remove females before conducting releases for genetic biocontrol interventions. Here we describe a robust sex-sorting approach termed SEPARATOR ...

Utility of surveillance data for planning for dengue elimination in Yogyakarta, Indonesia: a scenario-tree modelling approach

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Melanie Bannister-Tyrrell, Alison Hillman, Citra Indrian, Riris Andono Ahmad, Adi Utarini, Cameron P Simmons, Katherine L Anders, Evan Sergeant,  BMJ Global Health,  8. 2023.
Field trials and modelling studies suggest that elimination of dengue transmission may be possible through widespread release of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes infected with the insect bacterium Wolbachia pipientis (wMel strain), in conjunction with routine dengue control activities. ...

Symbiotic Wolbachia in mosquitoes and its role in reducing the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases: updates and prospects

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A. Minwuyelet, G. P. Petronio, D. Yewhalaw, A. Sciarretta, I. Magnifico, D. Nicolosi, R. Di Marco and G. Atenafu,  Frontiers in Microbiology,  14. 2023.
Mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, West Nile virus, chikungunya, Zika fever, and filariasis have the greatest health and economic impact. These mosquito-borne diseases are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in tropical and sub-tropical areas. Due to the ...

Success of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes in fighting dengue may be underestimated

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B. Wampler,  Notre Dame News,  2023.
Now, researchers at the University of Notre Dame have conducted an analysis of the World Mosquito Program’s randomized control trial of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes in Indonesia, looking at how excluding transmission dynamics impacted the original interpretation of the ...

The double-edged sword effect of expanding Wolbachia deployment in dengue endemic settings

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M. G. Pavan, G. A. Garcia, M. R. David and R. Maciel-de-Freitas,  The Lancet Regional Health - Americas,  27:100610. 2023.
We can use Brazil as a showcase to foresee and avoid a double-edged sword effect associated with Wolbachia releases. Insecticide resistance of native Ae. aegypti populations is spread worldwide (http://aedes.irmapper.com), and positive results should boost Wolbachia deployment in ...

Unleashing a New Weapon on the Mosquito: A Mosquito

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S. Nolen and E. Lutz,  New York Times,  2023.
Five decades ago, entomologists confronting the many kinds of suffering that mosquitoes inflict on humans began to consider a new idea: What if, instead of killing the mosquitoes (a losing proposition in most places), you could disarm them? Even if you couldn’t keep them from ...

Quantifying Fitness Costs in Transgenic Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes

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I. Sanchez-Vargas, A. E. Williams, L. E. Martin, I. Martin-Martin, S. Bennett, K. E. Olson and E. Calvo,  Journal of Visualized Experiments,  2023.
Transgenic mosquitoes often display fitness costs compared to their wild-type counterparts. In this regard, fitness cost studies involve collecting life parameter data from genetically modified mosquitoes and comparing them to mosquitoes lacking transgenes from the same genetic ...

Mimicking superinfection exclusion disrupts alphavirus infection and transmission in the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti

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Reitmayer, Christine M. Levitt, Emily Basu, Sanjay Atkinson, Barry Fragkoudis, Rennos Merits, Andres Lumley, Sarah Larner, Will Diaz, Adriana V. Rooney, Sara Thomas, Callum J. E. von Wyschetzki, Katharina Rausalu, Kai Alphey, Luk,  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,  120:e2303080120. 2023.
Multiple viruses, including pathogenic viruses, bacteriophages, and even plant viruses, cause a phenomenon termed superinfection exclusion whereby a currently infected cell is resistant to secondary infection by the same or a closely related virus. In alphaviruses, this process ...

Buzzing breakthrough: genetic engineering gives mosquito control an upgrade

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Sivasubbu, Sridhar Scaria, Vinod,  The Hindu,  2023.
Throughout human history, mosquitoes have constantly buzzed in the background of human existence, irritating us with their incessant bites and occasionally wreaking havoc by transmitting deadly diseases. The earliest known mosquitoes from the fossil record date back at least 70 ...

Molecular Evidence of Wolbachia Species in Wild-Caught Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes in Four States of Northeast India

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Vinayagam, S. Nirmolia, T. Chetry, S. Kumar, N. P. Saini, P. Bhattacharyya, D. R. Bhowmick, I. P. Sattu, K. Patgiri, S. J.,  Journal of Tropical Medicine,  2023.
Wolbachia, a Gram-negative intracellular bacterium, naturally infects many arthropods, including mosquito vectors responsible for the spread of arboviral diseases such as Zika, chikungunya, and dengue fever. Certain Wolbachia strains are involved in inhibiting arbovirus ...

Jamestown Canyon virus is transmissible by Aedes aegypti and is only moderately blocked by Wolbachia co-infection

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M. J. Lau, H. L. C. Dutra, M. J. Jones, B. P. McNulty, A. M. Diaz, F. Ware-Gilmore and E. A. McGraw,  PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases,  17. 2023.
Jamestown Canyon virus (JCV), a negative-sense arbovirus, is increasingly common in the upper Midwest of the USA. Transmitted by a range of mosquito genera, JCV's primary amplifying host is white-tailed deer. Aedes aegypti is responsible for transmitting various positive-sense ...

A synthetic biology approach to transgene expression

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P. Leftwich, T. , J. Purcell, C. , M. Anderson, A. E. , R. Fragkoudis, S. Basu, G. Lycett, T. and L. Alphey,  bioRxiv,  2023.08.31.555539. 2023.
The ability to control gene expression is pivotal in genetic engineering and synthetic biology. However, in most non-model and pest insect species, empirical evidence for predictable modulation of gene expression levels is lacking. This knowledge gap is critical for genetic ...

Wolbachia wMel strain-mediated effects on dengue virus vertical transmission from Aedes aegypti to their offspring

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K. Duong Thi Hue, D. da Silva Goncalves, V. Tran Thuy, L. Thi Vo, D. Le Thi, N. Vu Tuyet, G. Nguyen Thi, T. Huynh Thi Xuan, N. Nguyen Minh, P. Nguyen Thanh, S. Yacoub and C. P. Simmons,  Parasites and Vectors,  16:308. 2023.
Background Dengue virus serotypes (DENV-1 to -4) can be transmitted vertically in Aedes aegpti mosquitoes. Whether infection with the wMel strain of the endosymbiont Wolbachia can reduce the incidence of vertical transmission of DENV from infected females to their offspring is ...

The impact of predators of mosquito larvae on Wolbachia spreading dynamics

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Z. Zhu, Y. Hui and L. Hu,  Journal of Biological Dynamics,  17:2249024. 2023.
Dengue fever creates more than 390 million cases worldwide yearly. The most effective way to deal with this mosquito-borne disease is to control the vectors. In this work we consider two weapons, the endosymbiotic bacteria Wolbachia and predators of mosquito larvae, for combating ...

wMel Wolbachia alters female post-mating behaviors and physiology in the dengue vector mosquito Aedes aegypti

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J. Osorio, S. Villa-Arias, C. Camargo, L. F. Ramírez-Sánchez, L. M. Barrientos, C. Bedoya, G. Rúa-Uribe, S. Dorus, C. Alfonso-Parra and F. W. Avila,  Communications Biology,  6:865. 2023.
Globally invasive Aedes aegypti disseminate numerous arboviruses that impact human health. One promising method to control Ae. aegypti populations is transinfection with Wolbachia pipientis, which naturally infects ~40–52% of insects but not Ae. aegypti. Transinfection of Ae. ...

British super mosquitoes being deployed to wipe out malaria from the planet

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J. Lawton,  Daily Star,  2023.
The Brit-made mosquitoes are all male and carry a special gene to prevent female offspring from surviving into adulthood.Only females bite and spread malaria. Released into the wild Oxitec’s genetically-modified males mate with wild females. All the female offspring then die. ...

EPA Authorized Release Of 2 Billion More GMO Mosquitos

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T. Mateescu,  Health Thoroughfare,  2023.
A biotechnology company called Oxitec has produced genetically modified mosquitoes named GE mosquitoes. These mosquitoes are being released in the U.S. for a real-world experiment. Oxitec is using Aedes aegypti (A. aegypti) mosquitoes for this experiment. This species is known to ...

Modeling shows emerging mosquito control approach might be largely resistant to warming temperatures

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B. Yirka,  Phys Org,  2023.
A team of epidemiologists and engineers at the University of California, working with a colleague from QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, in Australia, has found via modeling that the use of the Wolbachia approach to slowing the spread of mosquito-borne diseases (MBDs) is ...

Scientists are releasing disease-resistant mosquitoes. But heat waves could kill them.

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C. Harvey,  Politico,  2023.
A new study, published Thursday in the journal Nature Climate Change, suggests that the disease-quashing bugs will likely survive for at least the next couple of decades. Their fate is less certain further into the future. The study focuses on a special insect-borne bacterium ...

Suppression Trial through an Integrated Vector Management of Aedes albopictus (Skuse) Based on the Sterile Insect Technique in a Non-Isolated Area in Spain

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C. Tur, D. Almenar, M. Zacarés, S. Benlloch-Navarro, I. Pla and V. Dalmau,  Insects,  14. 2023.
In recent years, Aedes albopictus (Skuse, 1984) has expanded its distribution globally due to its high ecological plasticity. This expansion has increased the population’s susceptibility to contracting diseases such as dengue, Zika, and chikungunya, among others, which are ...

wMel replacement of dengue-competent mosquitoes is robust to near-term change

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V. N. Vásquez, L. M. Kueppers, G. Rašić and J. M. Marshall,  Nature Climate Change,  13:848-855. 2023.
Rising temperatures are impacting the range and prevalence of mosquito-borne diseases. A promising biocontrol technology replaces wild mosquitoes with those carrying the virus-blocking Wolbachia bacterium. Because the most widely used strain, wMel, is adversely affected by heat ...

Susceptibility of Wolbachia mosquito control to temperature shifts

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E. P. Caragata,  Nature Climate Change,  13:767-768. 2023.
Vásquez and colleagues consider the potential impacts of increasing and variable temperatures on Wolbachia-based population-replacement interventions. Previous laboratory experiments have highlighted the temperature-sensitive nature of Wolbachia, with high average daily ...

New Study Improves Sterile Insect Technique for Mosquitoes

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E. Ricciuti,  Entomology Today,  2023.
As Florida health authorities work to respond to an ever-growing cadre of invasive tropical mosquitoes, a research team has sharpened an environmentally friendly tool increasingly deployed against a dangerous species that invaded the state two centuries ago. The mosquito is Aedes ...

Estimating mosquito abundance and population suppression in an incompatible insect technique study

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L. Griffin, D. Pagendam, C. Drovandi, B. Trewin and N. W. Beebe,  Journal of Applied Ecology,  2023.
Our model can provide valuable insights that can shape decision support systems in sterile insect technique and incompatible insect technique programmes operating over large geographical scales. The model helps determine how many sterile/incompatible insects should be released ...

Nuclear Technique Used in Europe for First time to Battle Yellow Fever Mosquito Found in Cyprus

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IAEA,  IAEA,  2023.
Cyprus this month released the first batch of 100,000 sterile mosquitos to begin the implementation of a Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) project testing the use of a nuclear technique to eradicate an invasive species of ...

Wolbachia -mediated resistance to Zika virus infection in Aedes aegypti is dominated by diverse transcriptional regulation and weak evolutionary pressures

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E. C. Boehm, A. S. Jaeger, H. J. Ries, D. Castañeda, A. M. Weiler, C. C. Valencia, J. Weger-Lucarelli, G. D. Ebel, S. L. O'Connor, T. C. Friedrich, M. Zamanian and M. T. Aliota,  bioRxiv,  2023.
A promising candidate for arbovirus control and prevention relies on replacing arbovirus-susceptible Aedes aegypti populations with mosquitoes that have been colonized by the intracellular bacterium Wolbachia and thus have a reduced capacity to transmit arboviruses. This reduced ...

Developing methods for chilling, compacting, and sterilizing adult Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) and comparing mating competitiveness between males sterilized as adults versus pupae for sterile male release

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D. A. Tussey, R. Morreale, D. O. Carvalho, S. Stenhouse, A. M. Lloyd, D. F. Hoel and D. A. Hahn,  Journal of Medical Entomology,  2023.
The yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti L., can transmit several pathogens responsible for human diseases. With insecticide resistance development becoming a concern, alternative control strategies are needed for Ae. aegypti. Sterile insect technique (SIT) is an increasingly ...

Effects of radiation on the fitness, sterility and arbovirus susceptibility of a Wolbachia-free Aedes albopictus strain for use in the Sterile Insect Technique

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D. J. Zhang, S. Yan, H. Yamada, Y. Wu, G. Wang, Q. D. Feng, D. Paerhande, H. Maiga, J. Bouyer, J. Qian, Z. D. Wu and X. Y. Zheng,  Pest Management Science,  2023.
BACKGROUND: The sterile insect technique (SIT) is a green and species-specific insect pest control technique that suppresses target populations by releasing factory-reared, radio-sterilized males into the wild. Once released, it is important to be able to distinguish the released ...

CRISPR-based gene editing of non-homologous end joining factors biases DNA repair pathway choice toward single-strand annealing in Aedes aegypti

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K. Chae, J. M. Overcash, C. Dawson, C. Valentin, H. Tsujimoto, K. M. Myles and Z. N. Adelman,  Current Research in Biotechnology,  5:100133. 2023.
To maintain genome stability, eukaryotic cells orchestrate DNA repair pathways to process DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) that result from diverse developmental or environmental stimuli. Bias in the selection of DSB repair pathways, either non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) or ...

Scientists in Tahiti prepare to release sterilized mosquitoes to control dengue

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F. Fouque,  WHO TDR,  2023.
Scientists in Tahiti have launched a research project to test the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) in French Polynesia, where the impact of the technology on dengue transmission will be measured for the first time. This is part of a global research initiative supported by TDR, (the ...

Genetically Engineered Mosquito experiment in California’s Central Valley halted

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H. Bourque,  Friends of the Earth,  2023.
In a victory for environmentalists, scientists and vulnerable agricultural communities across California, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) announced yesterday the withdrawal of a permit request for a mass release of experimental genetically engineered ...

updated: Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes Research Authorization Application

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California Department of Pesticide Regulation,  California Department of Pesticide Regulation,,  2023.
In May 2023, Oxitec voluntarily withdrew its research authorization application to test the use of genetically engineered mosquitoes in California. DPR did not issue a decision on the application. For more information on Oxitec’s withdrawal and future plans for research in ...

Targeting Sex Determination to Suppress Mosquito Populations

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L. Ming, P. K. Nikolay, S. Ruichen, Y. Ting, D. B. Elena, J. B. Daniel, A. Igor, M. S. C. Hector, Z. Yinpeng, A. D. Nicolas, M. L. YuMin, P. S. Matthew, M. Craig, M. M. John and S. A. Omar,  bioRxiv,  2023.04.18.537404. 2023.
Each year, hundreds of millions of people are infected with arboviruses such as dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya, and Zika, which are all primarily spread by the notorious mosquito Aedes aegypti. Traditional control measures have proven insufficient, necessitating innovations. ...

Massive mosquito factory in Brazil aims to halt dengue

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M. Lenharo,  Nature,  2023.
The non-profit World Mosquito Program (WMP) has announced that it will release modified mosquitoes in many of Brazil’s urban areas over the next 10 years, with the aim of protecting up to 70 million people from diseases such as dengue. Researchers have tested the release of ...

Dengue Exposure and Wolbachia wMel Strain Affects the Fertility of Quiescent Eggs of Aedes aegypti

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M. T. Petersen, D. Couto-Lima, G. A. Garcia, M. G. Pavan, M. R. David and R. Maciel-de-Freitas,  Viruses,  15. 2023.
(1) Background: The deployment of the bacterium Wolbachia to reduce arbovirus transmission is ongoing in several countries worldwide. When Wolbachia-carrying Aedes aegypti are released and established in the field, females may feed on dengue-infected hosts. The effects of ...

Spatial Distribution and Long-Term Persistence of Wolbachia-Infected Aedes aegypti in the Mentari Court, Malaysia

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Y. L. Cheong, W. A. Nazni, H. L. Lee, A. NoorAfizah, I. C. MohdKhairuddin, G. M. R. Kamarul, N. M. N. Nizam, M. A. K. Arif, Z. M. NurZatilAqmar, S. M. Irwan, K. Khadijah, Y. M. Paid, O. Topek, A. H. Hasnor, R. AbuBakar, B. Singh Gill, K. Fadzilah, A. Tahi,  Insects,  14. 2023.
Dengue is endemic in Malaysia, and vector control strategies are vital to reduce dengue transmission. The Wolbachia strain wAlbB carried by both sexes of Ae. aegypti was released in Mentari Court, a high-rise residential site, in October 2017 and stopped after 20 weeks. Wolbachia ...

DIPA-CRISPR gene editing in the yellow fever mosquito <em>Aedes aegypti</em> (Diptera: Culicidae)

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S. Yu, T. Momoyo, O. Manabu, K. Hirotaka and D. Takaaki,  bioRxiv,  2023.04.07.535996. 2023.
Current methods for gene editing in insects rely on embryonic microinjection, which can be challenging for non-specialist laboratories. Recently, an alternative method known as direct parental CRISPR (DIPA-CRISPR) was developed. This method involves injecting commercial Cas9 ...

A bacterium against the tiger: further evidence of the potential of non-inundative releases of males with manipulated Wolbachia infection in reducing fertility of Aedes albopictus field populations in Italy

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B. Caputo, R. Moretti, C. Virgillito, M. Manica, E. Lampazzi, G. Lombardi, P. Serini, V. Pichler, N. W. Beebe, A. Della Torre and M. Calvitti,  Pest Management Science,  2023.
BACKGROUND: Incompatible Insect Technique (IIT) is a population suppression approach based on the release of males with manipulated Wolbachia infection inducing egg inviability in wild females. We here present results of multiple field releases of incompatible ARwP males carried ...

Groundbreaking Partnership to Combat Dengue Mosquito in the Republic of the Marshall Islands Will Deploy Oxitec Friendly™ Aedes aegypti Solution

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Oxitec,  Oxitec.com,  2023.
The Republic of the Marshall Islands has selected Oxitec’s Friendly™ Aedes aegypti solution for a new pilot intervention to control the disease-spreading invasive Aedes aegypti mosquito. The project is a partnership between the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Pacific ...

Enhancing the scalability of Wolbachia-based vector-borne disease management: time and temperature limits for storage and transport of Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti eggs for field releases

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M. J. Allman, Y. H. Lin, D. A. Joubert, J. Addley-Cook, M. C. Mejía-Torres, C. P. Simmons, H. A. Flores and J. E. Fraser,  Parasit Vectors,  16:108. 2023.
BACKGROUND: Introgression of the bacterial endosymbiont Wolbachia into Aedes aegypti populations is a biocontrol approach being used to reduce arbovirus transmission. This requires mass release of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes. While releases have been conducted using a variety ...

The sex pheromone heptacosane enhances the mating competitiveness of sterile Aedes aegypti males

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L.-M. Wang, N. Li, M. Zhang, Q. Tang, H.-Z. Lu, Q.-Y. Zhou, J.-X. Niu, L. Xiao, Z.-Y. Peng, C. Zhang, M. Liu, D.-Q. Wang and S.-Q. Deng,  Parasites and Vectors,  16:102. 2023.
Aedes aegypti is a vector that transmits various viral diseases, including dengue and Zika. The radiation-based sterile insect technique (SIT) has a limited effect on mosquito control because of the difficulty in irradiating males without reducing their mating competitiveness. In ...

RNA interference is essential to modulating the pathogenesis of mosquito-borne viruses in the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti

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G. H. Samuel, T. Pohlenz, Y. Dong, N. Coskun, Z. N. Adelman, G. Dimopoulos and K. M. Myles,  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,  120:e2213701120. 2023.
While it has long been known that the transmission of mosquito-borne viruses depends on the establishment of persistent and nonlethal infections in the invertebrate host, specific roles for the insects? antiviral immune pathways in modulating the pathogenesis of viral infections ...

Scientists disable protective gene in mosquitoes, making them susceptible to disease

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Texas 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 ...

Galapagos to receive male mosquitoes for vector control in Ecuador

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A. R. Martin,  Prensa Latina,  2023.
The Galapagos Islands will receive 100,000 sterile male mosquitoes as part of a new vector control strategy in Ecuador, the Center for Research in Infectious and Vector Diseases (CIREV) announced. Reducing the Aedes aegypti in Ecuador is in charge of the National Institute for ...

Analysing inhibition of dengue virus in Wolbachia-infected mosquito cells following the removal of Wolbachia

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M. Hussain, K. Etebari and S. Asgari,  Virology,  581:48-55. 2023.
Wolbachia pipientis is known to block replication of positive sense RNA viruses. Previously, we created an Aedes aegypti Aag2 cell line (Aag2.wAlbB) transinfected with the wAlbB strain of Wolbachia and a matching tetracycline-cured Aag2.tet cell line. While dengue virus (DENV) ...

Genome evolution of dengue virus serotype 1 under selection by Wolbachia pipientis in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes

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D. Thi Hue Kien, K. Edenborough, D. da Silva Goncalves, T. Thuy Vi, E. Casagrande, H. Thi Le Duyen, V. Thi Long, L. Thi Dui, V. Thi Tuyet Nhu, N. Thi Giang, H. Thi Xuan Trang, E. Lee, I. a. Donovan-Banfield, H. Thi Thuy Van, N. Minh Nguyet, N. Thanh Phong,  Virus Evolution,  9:vead016. 2023.
The introgression of antiviral strains of Wolbachia into Aedes aegypti mosquito populations is a public health intervention for the control of dengue. Plausibly, dengue virus (DENV) could evolve to bypass the antiviral effects of Wolbachia and undermine this approach. Here, we ...

Wolbachia pipientis infections in populations of Aedes albopictus in the city of València (Spain): implications for mosquito control

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R. Bueno-Marí, R. Domínguez-Santos, M. Trelis, E. Garrote-Sánchez, M. Cholvi, F. Quero de Lera, M. Khoubbane, A. Marcilla and R. Gi,  Revista Española de Salud Pública,  97. 2023.
OBJECTIVE: The presence of Aedes albopictus, of high sanitary and social impact, was first reported in Valencia (Eastern Spain) in 2015. Innovative tools for its control include the use of the endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia pipientis. The release of mosquito males infected ...

Satellite Rearing of Aedes Mosquito Eggs: Synchronized Empirical Test of a Novel Mass Rearing Model

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K. L. Dobson, K. Blore, J. A. Henke, K. Y. Hung, T. Morgan, T. Posey, S. Sun, O. Sypes, N. P. Tremblay and S. L. Dobson,  J Am Mosq Control Assoc,  39:12-17. 2023.
Mosquito suppression strategies based on "rear and release" of male mosquitoes are attracting renewed interest from governments, municipalities, and private businesses. These include irradiation-based sterile insect technique, Wolbachia-based technologies, and genetic ...

From the Lab to the Field: Long-Distance Transport of Sterile Aedes Mosquitoes

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H. Maïga, M. T. Bakhoum, W. Mamai, G. Diouf, N. S. Bimbilé Somda, T. Wallner, C. Martina, S. S. Kotla, O. B. Masso, H. Yamada, B. B. D. Sow, A. G. Fall and J. Bouyer,  Insects,  14. 2023.
Pilot programs of the sterile insect technique (SIT) against Aedes aegypti may rely on importing significant and consistent numbers of high-quality sterile males from a distant mass rearing factory. As such, long-distance mass transport of sterile males may contribute to meet ...

Evaluating the mating competency of genetically modified male mosquitoes in laboratory conditions

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B. Contreras, Z. N. Adelman and K. Chae,  Frontiers in Tropical Diseases,  4. 2023.
Efforts to eradicate mosquito-borne diseases have increased the demand for genetic control strategies, many of which involve the release of genetically modified (GM) mosquito males into natural populations. The first hurdle for GM males is to compete with their wild-type ...

When less is more: accounting for overcompensation in mosquito SIT projects

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J. Bouyer,  Trends in Parasitology,  2023.
Compensation and overcompensation under field conditions are confirmed in Aedes mosquitoes recently by Evans et al.: equal or increased densities of emerging adults may thus result from reduced larval densities. Here the consequences when applying the sterile insect technique and ...

A Zika virus-responsive sensor-effector system in Aedes aegypti

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S. Basu, C. M. Reitmayer, S. Lumley, B. Atkinson, M. L. Schade-Weskott, S. Rooney, W. Larner, E. E. Montiel, R. Gutierrez-Lopez, E. Levitt, H. M. Munyanduki, A. M. E. Elrefaey, A. T. Clarke, S. Koit, E. Zusinaite, R. Fragkoudis, A. Merits and L. Alphey,  bioRxiv,  2023.02.06.527261. 2023.
Zika virus (ZIKV) is a recently re-emerged flavivirus transmitted primarily through the bite of an infected mosquito, Aedes aegypti being the main vector. ZIKV infection is associated with a range of adverse effects; infection during pregnancy can lead to foetal abnormalities, ...

Biological comparative study between Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti mosquito and Wolbachia-uninfected strain, Jeddah city, Saudi Arabia

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A. G. Algamdi, F. M. Shaher and J. A. Mahyoub,  Saudi J Biol Sci,  30:103581. 2023.
In this study, samples of Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes were collected from Al-Safa district in Jeddah city, Saudi Arabia. The presence of Wolbachia bacteria in mosquitoes was confirmed by PCR technique and they were reared and propagated in the laboratory. ...

Engineered Antiviral Sensor Targets Infected Mosquitoes

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E. Dalla Benetta, A. J. Lopez-Denman, H.-H. Li, R. A. Masri, D. J. Brogan, M. Bui, T. Yang, M. Li, M. Dunn, M. J. Klein, S. Jackson, K. Catalan, K. R. Blasdell, P. Tng, I. Antoshechkin, L. S. Alphey, P. N. Paradkar and O. Akbari,  bioRxiv,  2023.01.27.525922. 2023.
Escalating vector disease burdens pose significant global health risks, so innovative tools for targeting mosquitoes are critical. We engineered an antiviral strategy termed REAPER (vRNA Expression Activates Poisonous Effector Ribonuclease) that leverages the programmable ...

Impact of randomised wmel Wolbachia deployments on notified dengue cases and insecticide fogging for dengue control in Yogyakarta City

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C. Indriani, S. K. Tanamas, U. Khasanah, M. R. Ansari, Rubangi, W. Tantowijoyo, R. A. Ahmad, S. M. Dufault, N. P. Jewell, A. Utarini, C. P. Simmons and K. L. Anders,  Glob Health Action,  16:2166650. 2023.
BACKGROUND: Releases of Wolbachia (wMel)-infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes significantly reduced the incidence of virologically confirmed dengue in a previous cluster randomised trial in Yogyakarta City, Indonesia. Following the trial, wMel releases were extended to the untreated ...

Control of Aedes mosquito populations using recombinant microalgae expressing short hairpin RNAs and their effect on plankton

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X. Fei, S. Xiao, X. Huang, Z. Li, X. Li, C. He, Y. Li, X. Zhang and X. Deng,  PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases,  17:e0011109. 2023.
New biocontrol strategies are urgently needed to combat vector-borne infectious diseases. This study presents a low-cost method to produce a potential mosquito insecticide that utilizes the microalgae released into suburban water sources to control mosquito populations. Chlorella ...

Closing the gap to effective gene drive in Aedes aegypti by exploiting germline regulatory elements

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M. A. E. Anderson, E. Gonzalez, J. X. D. Ang, L. Shackleford, K. Nevard, S. A. N. Verkuijl, M. P. Edgington, T. Harvey-Samuel and L. Alphey,  Nature Communications,  14:338. 2023.
CRISPR/Cas9-based homing gene drives have emerged as a potential new approach to mosquito control. While attempts have been made to develop such systems in Aedes aegypti, none have been able to match the high drive efficiency observed in Anopheles species. Here we generate Ae. ...

Joint FAO/IAEA Coordinated Research Project on Mosquito Handling, Transport, Release and Male Trapping Methods in Support of SIT Application to Control Mosquitoes

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M. Gómez, B. J. Johnson, H. C. Bossin and R. Argilés-Herrero,  Insects,  14. 2023.
The research carried out in the framework of this CRP generated key achievements in areas relevant to the SIT application to control mosquitoes. Among these outcomes, particular mentions must be given to the following: (1) Novel and efficient self-marking techniques were ...

Wolbachia RNase HI contributes to virus blocking in the mosquito Aedes aegypti

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M. Hussain, G. Zhang, M. Leitner, L. M. Hedges and S. Asgari,  iScience,  26:105836. 2023.
The endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia pipientis blocks replication of several arboviruses in transinfected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. However, the mechanism of virus blocking remains poorly understood. Here, we characterized an RNase HI gene from Wolbachia, which is rapidly ...

Dynamics of an impulsive reaction-diffusion mosquitoes model with multiple control measures

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Y. Li, H. Zhao and K. Wang,  Mathematical Biosciences and Engineering,  20:775-806. 2023.
It is well-known that mosquito control is one of the effective methods to reduce and prevent the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases. In this paper, we formulate a reaction-diffusion impulsive hybrid model incorporating Wolbachia, impulsively spraying of insecticides, spatial ...

Effects of gamma radiation on the vector competence of Aedes aegypti (diptera: Culicidae) to transmit Zika virus

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E. B. da Silva, C. M. de Mendonça, D. R. D. Guedes, M. H. S. Paiva, J. d. A. Mendonça, E. S. F. Dias, S. G. L. Florêncio, A. Amaral, A. M. Netto, C. F. J. A. Lopes and M. A. V. de Melo-Santos,  Acta Tropica,  239:106831. 2023.
One of the limitations of the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), conventionally performed by ionizing radiation, regards separating males from females, which is not 100% effective. Some irradiated females may be released together with males in the field at SIT. The present study ...

Sterility of Aedes albopictus by X-ray Irradiation as an Alternative to γ-ray Irradiation for the Sterile Insect Technique

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L.-M. Wang, N. Li, C.-P. Ren, Z.-Y. Peng, H.-Z. Lu, D. Li, X.-Y. Wu, Z.-X. Zhou, J.-Y. Deng, Z.-H. Zheng, R.-Q. Wang, Y.-N. Du, D.-Q. Wang and S.-Q. Deng,  Pathogens,  12. 2023.
The mosquito Aedes albopictus can transmit various arboviral diseases, posing a severe threat to human health. As an environmentally friendly method, sterile insect technology (SIT) is considered an alternative to traditional methods such as chemical pesticides to control Ae. ...

Survival-Larval Density Relationships in the Field and Their Implications for Control of Container-Dwelling Aedes Mosquitoes

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K. G. Evans, Z. R. Neale, B. Holly, C. C. Canizela and S. A. Juliano,  Insects,  14. 2022.
Population density can affect survival, growth, development time, and adult size and fecundity, which are collectively known as density-dependent effects. Container Aedes larvae often attain high densities in nature, and those densities may be reduced when larval control is ...

Assessing the efficacy of male Wolbachia-infected mosquito deployments to reduce dengue incidence in Singapore: study protocol for a cluster-randomized controlled trial

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J. Ong, S. H. Ho, S. X. H. Soh, Y. Wong, Y. Ng, K. Vasquez, Y. L. Lai, Y. X. Setoh, C. S. Chong, V. Lee, J. C. C. Wong, C. H. Tan, S. Sim, L. C. Ng and J. T. Lim,  Trials,  23:1023. 2022.
The study is designed as a parallel, two-arm, non-blinded cluster-randomized (CR) controlled trial to be conducted in high-rise public housing estates in Singapore, an equatorial city-state. The aim is to determine whether large-scale deployment of male Wolbachia-infected Ae. ...

Good news in the fight against vector-borne diseases

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K. Magori,  2022.
At the turn of the century, several research groups attempted to apply modern genetic methodologies to achieve similar outcomes without the need for irradiation and the resulting fitness costs. Luke Alphey and his colleagues at Oxford University developed a dominant lethal ...

Oxitec’s mosquitoes are getting “friendly” with California

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L. Patrick,  The Sun Gazette,  2022.
Biotech company Oxitec is buzzing around Visalia, with the hopes of releasing their genetically engineered mosquitoes in Tulare County. Oxitec has one more hurdle to jump over in order to release their “friendly” Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in Tulare County, and that’s to gain ...

Does severe hypoxia during irradiation of Aedes aegypti pupae improve sterile male performance?

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D. A. Tussey, K. J. Linthicum and D. A. Hahn,  Parasites and Vectors,  15:446. 2022.
The yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, vectors several pathogens responsible for human diseases. As a result, this mosquito species is a priority for control by mosquito control districts in Florida. With insecticide resistance development becoming a concern, alternative ...

Developing radiation-based sterile insect technique (SIT) for controlling Aedes aegypti: identification of a sterilizing dose

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C. Chen, R. L. Aldridge, S. Gibson, J. Kline, V. Aryaprema, W. Qualls, R.-d. Xue, L. Boardman, K. J. Linthicum and D. A. Hahn,  Pest Management Science,  2022.
Abstract Background The sterile insect technique (SIT) is emerging as a tool to supplement traditional pesticide-based control of Aedes aegypti, a prominent mosquito vector of microbes that have increased the global burden of human morbidity and mortality over the past 50?years. ...

A CRISPR endonuclease gene drive reveals distinct mechanisms of inheritance bias

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S. A. N. Verkuijl, E. Gonzalez, M. Li, J. X. D. Ang, N. P. Kandul, M. A. E. Anderson, O. S. Akbari, M. B. Bonsall and L. Alphey,  Nature Communications,  13:7145. 2022.
CRISPR/Cas gene drives can bias transgene inheritance through different mechanisms. Homing drives are designed to replace a wild-type allele with a copy of a drive element on the homologous chromosome. In Aedes aegypti, the sex-determining locus is closely linked to the white ...

Independent evaluation of Wolbachia infected male mosquito releases for control of Aedes aegypti in Harris County, Texas, using a Bayesian abundance estimator

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S. Lozano, K. Pritts, D. Duguma, C. Fredregill and R. Connelly,  PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases,  16:e0010907. 2022.
Among disease vectors, Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae) is one of the most insidious species in the world. The disease burden created by this species has dramatically increased in the past 50 years, and during this time countries have relied on pesticides for control and ...

Influence of public hesitancy and receptivity on reactive behaviours towards releases of male Wolbachia-Aedes mosquitoes for dengue control

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M. O. Lwin, Z. Ong, C. Panchapakesan, A. Sheldenkar, L. T. Soh, I. Chen, X. Li, W. Niah, K. Vasquez, S. Sim and L.-C. Ng,  PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases,  16:e0010910. 2022.
Singapore, a highly urbanized Asian tropical country that experiences periodic dengue outbreaks, is piloting field releases of male Wolbachia-carrying Aedes aegyptimosquitoes with the aim of suppressing urban populations of the primary dengue vector Aedes aegypti. This study ...

Wolbachia inhibits ovarian formation and increases blood feeding rate in female Aedes aegypti

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M.-J. Lau, P. A. Ross, N. M. Endersby-Harshman, Q. Yang and A. A. Hoffmann,  PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases,  16:e0010913. 2022.
Author summary Wolbachia bacteria reduce the transmission of dengue and other arboviruses transmitted by their mosquito hosts once they have invaded host populations. This invasion process is being undertaken in Aedes aegypti mosquito populations throughout the world but can be ...

A sterile insect technique pilot trial on Captiva Island: defining mosquito population parameters for sterile male releases using mark–release–recapture

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D. O. Carvalho, R. Morreale, S. Stenhouse, D. A. Hahn, M. Gomez, A. Lloyd and D. Hoel,  Parasites and Vectors,  15:405. 2022.
The sterile insect technique (SIT), which involves area-wide inundative releases of sterile insects to suppress the reproduction of a target species, has proven to be an effective pest control method. The technique demands the continuous release of sterilized insects in ...

Monotonicity properties arising in a simple model of Wolbachia invasion for wild mosquito populations

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D. Vicencio, O. Vasilieva and P. Gajardo,  Mathematical Biosciences and Engineering,  20:1148-1175. 2022.
Using tools borrowed from monotone dynamical system theory, in the proposed model, we prove the existence of an invariant threshold manifold that allows us to provide practical recommendations for performing single and periodic releases of Wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes, seeking ...

New self-sexing Aedes aegypti strain eliminates barriers to scalable and sustainable vector control for governments and communities in dengue-prone environments

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S. A. M. Spinner, Z. H. Barnes, A. M. Puinean, P. Gray, T. Dafa’alla, C. E. Phillips, C. Nascimento de Souza, T. F. Frazon, K. Ercit, A. Collado, N. Naish, E. Sulston, G. C. Ll. Phillips, K. K. Greene, M. Poletto, B. D. Sperry, S. A. Warner, N. R. Rose, G,  Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology,  10. 2022.
For more than 60 years, efforts to develop mating-based mosquito control technologies have largely failed to produce solutions that are both effective and scalable, keeping them out of reach of most governments and communities in disease-impacted regions globally. High pest ...

Assessing single-locus CRISPR/Cas9-based gene drive variants in the mosquito Aedes aegypti via single generation crosses and modeling

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W. Reid, A. E. Williams, I. Sanchez-Vargas, J. Lin, R. Juncu, K. E. Olson and A. W. E. Franz,  G3 Genes|Genomes|Genetics,  2022.
Critical to the design of a single-locus autonomous GD is that the selected genomic locus is amenable to both GD and appropriate expression of the antiviral effector. In our study, we used reverse engineering to target two intergenic genomic loci, which had previously shown to be ...

GeneConvene Global Collaborative Webinar Series | Wolbachia Biology, Mechanisms and Applications 2022

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David O'Brochta,  GeneConvene Global Collaborative,  2022.
Intracellular and extracellular symbiotic/commensal bacteria have enormous potential when manipulated and deployed appropriately to serve as agents of control of insects and the pathogens they transmit. Wolbachia, an intracellular bacteria, is a well studied system and one that ...

Wolbachia wAlbB inhibit dengue and Zika infection in the mosquito Aedes aegypti with an Australian background

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L. E. Hugo, G. Rašić, A. J. Maynard, L. Ambrose, C. Liddington, C. J. E. Thomas, N. S. Nath, M. Graham, C. Winterford, B. M. C. R. Wimalasiri-Yapa, Z. Xi, N. W. Beebe and G. J. Devine,  PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases,  16:e0010786. 2022.
Biological control of mosquito vectors using the endosymbiotic bacteria Wolbachia is an emerging strategy for the management of human arboviral diseases. We recently described the development of a strain of Aedes aegypti infected with the Wolbachia strain wAlbB (referred to as ...

Risk Assessment on the Release of Wolbachia-Infected Aedes aegypti in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

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D. Buchori, A. Mawan, I. Nurhayati, A. Aryati, H. Kusnanto and U. K. Hadi,  Insects,  13. 2022.
Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti is the latest technology that was developed to eliminate dengue fever. The Ministry of Research and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia (Kemenristekdikti) established an expert group to identify future potential risks that may occur over a ...

Wolbachia-Virus interactions and arbovirus control through population replacement in mosquitoes

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T. H. Ant, M. V. Mancini, C. J. McNamara, S. M. Rainey and S. P. Sinkins,  Pathogens and Global Health,  2022.
Following transfer into the primary arbovirus vector Aedes aegypti, several strains of the intracellular bacterium Wolbachia have been shown to inhibit the transmission of dengue, Zika, and chikungunya viruses, important human pathogens that cause significant morbidity and ...

Fitness costs of Wolbachia shift in locally-adapted Aedes aegypti mosquitoes

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P. A. Ross and A. A. Hoffmann,  Environmental Microbiology,  2022.
Aedes aegypti mosquito eggs can remain quiescent for many months before hatching, allowing populations to persist through unfavorable conditions. Aedes aegypti infected with the Wolbachia strain wMel have been released in tropical and subtropical regions for dengue control. wMel ...

How We’re Reducing Disease With Genetically Modified Mosquitoes

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V. Wise,  HealthMatch,  2022.
We all know mosquitoes as those annoying insects we swat away from our faces. They carry diseases, so we don’t want them anywhere near us. There are over 200 types of wild mosquitoes bugging us across America and the U.S. territories. Approximately 12 types can spread disease, ...

Externalities modulate the effectiveness of the Wolbachia release programme

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E. E. Ooi and A. Wilder-Smith,  The Lancet Infectious Diseases,  2022.
Despite the remarkable outcome in Yogyakarta, the wMel approach also has some challenges. In particular, the extent to which ecological, weather, and other external factors influence the dissemination and establishment of wMel in complex urban environments remains unclear. ...

Estimating the effect of the wMel release programme on the incidence of dengue and chikungunya in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: a spatiotemporal modelling study

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G. Ribeiro dos Santos, B. Durovni, V. Saraceni, T. I. Souza Riback, S. B. Pinto, K. L. Anders, et al.,  The Lancet Infectious Diseases,  2022.
Summary Background Introgression of genetic material from species of the insect bacteria Wolbachia into populations of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes has been shown in randomised and non-randomised trials to reduce the incidence of dengue; however, evidence for the real-world ...

The Involvement of Atlastin in Dengue Virus and Wolbachia Infection in Aedes aegypti and Its Regulation by aae-miR-989

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M. Hussain, T. Bradshaw, M. Lee and S. Asgari,  Microbiology Spectrum,  2022.
Endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-shaping atlastin proteins (ATLs) have been demonstrated to play a functional role during flavivirus replication in mammalian cells. For dengue virus (DENV), atlastin is required in the formation of the replication organelles and RNA replication, virion ...

Analysis of Aedes aegypti microRNAs in response to Wolbachia wAlbB infection and their potential role in mosquito longevity

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C. Bishop, M. Hussain, L. E. Hugo and S. Asgari,  Scientific Reports,  12:15245. 2022.
The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the primary vector of a range of medically important viruses including dengue, Zika, West Nile, yellow fever, and chikungunya viruses. The endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia pipientis wAlbB strain is a promising biocontrol agent for blocking viral ...

Bill Gates’ Colombian Mosquito Factory Breeding 30 Million Bacteria-Infected Mosquitos Per Week

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anonymous,  GREATGAMEINDIA,  2022.
Bill Gates’ Colombian ‘mosquito factory’ is breeding 30 million bacteria-infected mosquitos per week. The project’s objective appears to be to introduce Wolbachia into native mosquito populations by employing lab-bred mosquitoes, resulting in the infection of such ...

Modified mosquito releases to fight dengue fever, chikungunya or yellow fever

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Sewell, Tammy,  OICANADIAN,  2022.
To date, only one technique based on genetically modified mosquitoes has been developed at an operational level, it is the RIDL technique (release of insects carrying a dominant lethal gene, or release of insects carrying a dominant lethality gene). Male mosquitoes which, unlike ...

Call for public consultation ̶ Development of Target Product Profiles (TPPs) for Wolbachia infected Aedes aegypti population replacement intervention

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World Health Organization,  WHO,  2022.
WHO aims to reduce the global burden of dengue by 25% by 2030. To reach this goal, it is imperative to provide control programmes with sustainable vector control tools. Wolbachia, a symbiotic bacterium that occurs naturally in many insects, has been successfully transferred into ...

World Mosquito Day: Can genetic modification techniques quash the menace?

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CNBCTV18,  CNBC TV18,  2022.
Genetically modified (GM) mosquitoes are prepared in labs and are supposed to fight the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes which spread viruses including dengue, Zika, and chikungunya. Billions have apparently been successfully released in the US, Brazil, the Cayman Islands, Panama, and ...

Outbreaks of arboviruses, biotechnological innovations and vector control: facing the unexpected

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C. Boëte,  Innovative Strategies for Vector Control,  6:219-231. 2022.
Outbreaks of arboviruses have occurred in the last decades in many places around the world and a variety of responses have been taken in order to control them. Responses ranged from vaccination campaigns to the use of conventional vector control methods. Innovative approaches ...

A multiplexed, confinable CRISPR/Cas9 gene drive propagates in caged Aedes aegypti populations

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M. A. E. Anderson, E. Gonzalez, M. P. Edgington, J. X. D. Ang, D.-K. Purusothaman, L. Shackleford, K. Nevard, S. A. N. Verkuijl, T. Harvey-Samuel, P. T. Leftwich, K. Esvelt and L. Alphey,  bioRxiv,  2022.08.12.503466. 2022.
Here, we test the regulatory sequences from the Ae. aegypti benign gonial cell neoplasm (bgcn) homolog to express Cas9 in the germline to find an expression timing more conducive to homing. We also created a separate multiplexing (targeting multiple different sites within the ...

Changing mosquito genes, spreading bacteria: Science sees success vs dengue

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C. E. Baclig,  INQUIRER.NET,  2022.
Wolbachia, according to WMP, are extremely common bacteria that occur naturally in 50 percent of insect species, including mosquitoes, fruit flies, moths, dragonflies, and butterflies. Aedes aegypti or dengue-carrying mosquitoes, however, do not normally carry Wolbachia. Studies ...

Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus microbiome/virome: new strategies for controlling arboviral transmission?

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M. Gómez, D. Martinez, M. Muñoz and J. D. Ramírez,  Parasites and Vectors,  15:287. 2022.
Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are the main vectors of highly pathogenic viruses for humans, such as dengue (DENV), chikungunya (CHIKV), and Zika (ZIKV), which cause febrile, hemorrhagic, and neurological diseases and remain a major threat to global public health. The high ...

Studies on the fitness characteristics of wMel- and wAlbB-introgressed Aedes aegypti (Pud) lines in comparison with wMel- and wAlbB-transinfected Aedes aegypti (Aus) and wild-type Aedes aegypti (Pud) lines

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C. Sadanandane, K. Gunasekaran, D. Panneer, S. K. Subbarao, M. Rahi, B. Vijayakumar, V. Athithan, A. Sakthivel, S. Dinesh and P. Jambulingam,  Frontiers in Microbiology,  13:947857. 2022.
Wolbachia, an intracellular maternally transmitted endosymbiont, has been shown to interfere with the replication of dengue virus in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. The Wolbachia-transinfected Ae. aegypti has been currently released in many countries to test its effectiveness in ...

Wolbachia Dynamics in Mosquitoes with Incomplete CI and Imperfect Maternal Transmission by a DDE System

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Y. Su, B. Zheng and X. Zou,  Bulletin of Mathematical Biology,  84:95. 2022.
In this paper, we propose a delay differential equation model to describe the Wolbachia infection dynamics in mosquitoes in which the key factor of cytoplasmic incompactibility (CI) is incorporated in a more natural way than those in the literature. By analyzing the dynamics of ...

Release the Beast? Genetically modified mosquitos for diease control

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G. Ferrante,  Palatinate,  2022.
The company Oxitec is an example how genetic technologies can be used in managing unwanted species in a sustainable way.Oxitec jumped to the headlines in March with permits being issued by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to allow the release of around 2.4 ...

Wolbachia wPip Blocks Zika Virus Transovarial Transmission in Aedes albopictus

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Y. Guo, J. Guo, Y. Li, X. Zheng and Y. Wu,  Microbiol Spectrum,  e0263321. 2022.
Area-wide application of Wolbachia to suppress mosquito populations and their transmitted viruses has achieved success in multiple countries. However, the mass release of Wolbachia-infected male mosquitoes involves a potential risk of accidentally releasing fertile females. In ...

Developing Wolbachia-based disease interventions for an extreme environment

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P. A. Ross, S. Elfekih, S. Collier, M. J. Klein, S. S. Lee, M. Dunn, S. Jackson, Y. Zhang, J. K. Axford, X. Gu, M. S. Nasar, P. N. Paradkar, E. A. Taoufik, F. M. Jiggins, A. M. Almalik, M. B. Al-Fageeh and A. A. Hoffmann,  bioRxiv,  2022.07.26.501527. 2022.
Aedes aegypti mosquitoes carrying self-spreading, virus-blocking Wolbachia bacteria are being deployed to suppress dengue transmission. However, there are challenges in applying this technology in extreme environments. We introduced two Wolbachia strains into Ae. aegypti from ...

Attempts to use breeding approaches in Aedes aegypti to create lines with distinct and stable relative Wolbachia densities

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A. J. Mejia, L. Jimenez, H. L. C. Dutra, R. Perera and E. A. McGraw,  Heredity,  2022.
Wolbachia is an insect endosymbiont being used for biological control in the mosquito Aedes aegypti because it causes cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) and limits viral replication of dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses. While the genetic mechanism of pathogen blocking (PB) is ...

Partial masculinization of Aedes aegypti females by conditional expression of Nix

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B. B. Kojin, E. Jakes, J. K. Biedler, Z. Tu and Z. N. Adelman,  PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases,  16:e0010598. 2022.
Here, we report on the conditional expression of Nixin transgenic A. aegypti under the control of the tetracycline-dependent (Tet-off) system, with the goal of establishing repressible sex distortion. A masculinization phenotype was observed in three of the seven transgenic lines ...

CRISPR-Mediated Genome Engineering in Aedes aegypti

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R. Sun, M. Li, C. J. McMeniman and O. S. Akbari,  piRNA: Methods and Protocols,  2022.
CRISPR-mediated genome engineering technologies have been adapted to a wide variety of organisms with high efficiency and specificity. The yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegyptiAedes aegypti, is one such organism. It is also responsible for transmitting a wide variety of deadly ...

The suppressive potential of a gene drive in populations of invasive social wasps is currently limited

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A. B. Meiborg, N. R. Faber, B. A. Taylor, B. A. Harpur and G. Gorjanc,  bioRxiv,  2022.06.27.497711. 2022.
Social insects are very successful invasive species, and the continued increase of global trade and transportation has exacerbated this problem. The yellow-legged hornet, Vespa velutina nigrithorax (henceforth Asian hornet), is drastically expanding its range in Western Europe. ...

The AalNix3&4 isoform is required and sufficient to convert Aedes albopictus females into males

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Y. Zhao, B. Jin, P. Liu, X. Xiao, L. Cai, Z. Xie, L. Kong, T. Liu, W. Yang, Y. Wu, J. Gu, Z. Tu, A. A. James and X.-G. Chen,  PLOS Genetics,  18:e1010280. 2022.
Author summary Nix serves as a conserved male-determining factor in the two most important mosquito arboviral vectors, Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus. AaeNix alone can convert Ae. aegypti females into fertile but flightless males. AalNix has four alternative splice isoforms ...

Sensitivity of wMel and wAlbB Wolbachia infections in Aedes aegypti Puducherry (Indian) strains to heat stress during larval development

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K. Gunasekaran, C. Sadanandane, D. Panneer, A. Kumar, M. Rahi, S. Dinesh, B. Vijayakumar, M. Krishnaraja, S. K. Subbarao and P. Jambulingam,  Parasites and Vectors,  15:221. 2022.
BACKGROUND: ICMR-Vector Control Research Centre, Puducherry, India, developed two colonies of Aedes aegypti infected with wMel and wAlbB Wolbacia strains called Ae. aegypti (Pud) lines for dengue control. The sensitivity of wMel and wAlbB strains in Ae. aegypti (Pud) lines to ...

Current Status of Mosquito Handling, Transporting and Releasing in Frame of the Sterile Insect Technique

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J. Guo, X. Zheng, D. Zhang and Y. Wu,  Insects,  13. 2022.
The sterile insect technique (SIT) and its related technologies are considered to be a powerful weapon for fighting against mosquitoes. As an important part of the area-wide integrated pest management (AW-IPM) programs, SIT can help reduce the use of chemical pesticides for ...

Establishment of Wolbachia infection in Aedes aegypti from Pakistan via embryonic microinjection and semi-field evaluation of general fitness of resultant mosquito population

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M. S. Sarwar, N. Jahan, A. Ali, H. K. Yousaf and I. Munzoor,  Parasites and Vectors,  15:191. 2022.
BACKGROUND: Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral disease that is mainly spread by Aedes aegypti. It is prevalent on five continents, predominantly in tropical and sub-tropical zones across the world. Wolbachia bacteria have been extensively used in vector control strategies ...

Modifying mosquitoes to suppress disease transmission: Is the long wait over?

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J. R. Powell,  Genetics,  2022.
For more than 50 years it has been a dream of medical entomologists and public health workers to control diseases like malaria and dengue fever by modifying, through genetics and other methods, the arthropods that transmit them to humans. A brief synopsis of the history of ...

Modeling the impact of genetically modified male mosquitoes in the spatial population dynamics of Aedes aegypti

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M. R. da Silva, P. H. G. Lugão, F. Prezoto and G. Chapiro,  Scientific Reports,  12:9112. 2022.
The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the primary vector of diseases such as dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever. Improving control techniques requires a better understanding of the mosquito’s life cycle, including spatial population dynamics in endemic regions. One of the most ...

Reply to: Assessing the efficiency of Verily’s automated process for production and release of male Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes

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J. E. Crawford, K. C. Hopkins, A. Buchman, T. Zha, P. Howell, E. Kakani, J. R. Ohm, N. Snoad, L. Upson, J. Holeman, P. Massaro, S. L. Dobson, F. S. Mulligan and B. J. White,  Nature Biotechnology,  2022.
We appreciate the comments from Bouyer et al. under their mandate as a United Nations agency program (‘to promote the safe and appropriate use of nuclear techniques and related technologies in food and agriculture’) on our paper1 . The centuries-old fight against ...

Assessing the efficiency of Verily’s automated process for production and release of male Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes

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J. Bouyer, H. Maiga and M. J. B. Vreysen,  Nature Biotechnology,  2022.
A paper by Crawford et al.1 titled ‘Efficient production of male Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes enables large-scale suppression of wild populations’ reports a mosquito control suppression trial carried out from2017 to 2018 in Fresco Country, California, USA1 . ...

Elimination of a closed population of the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, through releases of self-limiting male mosquitoes

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P. B. Patil, S. K. Dasgupta, K. Gorman, A. Pickl-Herk, M. Puinean, A. McKemey, B. Char, U. B. Zehr and S. R. Barwale,  PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases,  16:e0010315. 2022.
Author summary Aedes aegypti L. species is the primary vector responsible for transmission of the dengue virus worldwide including chikungunya, yellow fever and Zika virus. The experiment presented in the manuscript represents a study undertaken to demonstrate suppression of the ...

Simple, sensitive, and cost-effective detection of wAlbB Wolbachia in Aedes mosquitoes, using loop mediated isothermal amplification combined with the electrochemical biosensing method

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P. Thayanukul, B. Lertanantawong, W. Sirawaraporn, S. Charasmongkolcharoen, T. Chaibun, R. Jittungdee and P. Kittayapong,  PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases,  16:e0009600. 2022.
Author summary Mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, zika, and yellow fever are transmitted to humans mainly by the bites of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Controlling the vectors of these diseases relies mostly on the use of insecticides. However, the efficiency has ...

Self-Deleting Genes Could Control Mosquitoes And Prevent Vector-Borne Diseases

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A. Russell,  Texas AM TODAY,  2022.
Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists are testing a technology to make temporary genetic modifications in mosquitoes that self-delete over time. The mechanism to make temporary genetic changes could be important for scientists hoping to modify mosquitoes in ways that help manage ...

Mosquitoes Genetically Modified to Stop Disease Pass Early Test

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L. Rapaport,  WebMD,  2022.
Genetically modified mosquitoes released in the U.S. appear to have passed an early test that suggests they might one day help reduce the population of insects that transmit infectious diseases. As part of the test, scientists released nearly 5 million genetically engineered ...

Setting the world’s deadliest animal to self-destruct

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A. Ossola,  QUARTZ,  2022.
The mosquitoes are coming - and the, hopefully, they're going. This wee, British biotech company Oxitec plans to kick off a months-long experiment in which it will release billions of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in California and Florida. But these aren't just any mosquitoes - ...

Genetically Modified Mosquitoes May Protect The World From Disease

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J. R. Learn,  DISCOVER,  2022.
Forget lions, hippos or venomous spiders. Aedes aegypti mosquitoes may be among the deadliest wildlife in the world. Their bite is relatively harmless in normal circumstances. But many of these mosquitoes carry diseases they transmit from the blood of one host to another, ...

Transient Introgression of Wolbachia into Aedes aegypti Populations Does Not Elicit an Antibody Response to Wolbachia Surface Protein in Community Members

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E. Lee, T. Hien Nguyen, T. Yen Nguyen, S. Nam Vu, N. Duong Tran, L. Trung Nghia, Q. Mai Vien, T. Dong Nguyen, R. Kriiger Loterio, I. Iturbe-Ormaetxe, H. A. Flores, S. L. O'Neill, D. Anh Dang, C. P. Simmons and J. E. Fraser,  Pathogens,  11. 2022.
Wolbachia is an endosymbiotic bacterium that can restrict the transmission of human pathogenic viruses by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Recent field trials have shown that dengue incidence is significantly reduced when Wolbachia is introgressed into the local Ae. aegypti population. ...

International shipments of Wolbachia-infected mosquito eggs: towards the scaling-up of World Mosquito Program operations

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J. A. Denton, D. A. Joubert, A. A. Goundar and J. R. L. Gilles,  Scientific and Technical Review,  41:91-99. 2022.
The Wolbachia insect control method, employed by the World Mosquito Program (WMP), relies on introgressing Wolbachia through target Aedes aegypti populations to reduce the incidence of dengue. Since 2010, the WMP has been producing Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes at numerous sites ...

Engineering a self-eliminating transgene in the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti

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K. Chae, C. Dawson, C. Valentin, B. Contreras, J. Zapletal, K. M. Myles and Z. N. Adelman,  PNAS Nexus,  2022.
Promising genetics-based approaches are being developed to reduce or prevent the transmission of mosquito-vectored diseases. Less clear is how such transgenes can be removed from the environment, a concern that is particularly relevant for highly invasive gene drive transgenes. ...

Self-eliminating genes tested on mosquitoes

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A. Russell,  AGRILIFE Today,  2022.
Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists have tested a technology to make temporary genetic modifications in mosquitoes. The modifications self-delete over time. Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists published an article detailing a mechanism to make temporary genetic alterations ...

Pilot trial using mass field-releases of sterile males produced with the incompatible and sterile insect techniques as part of integrated Aedes aegypti control in Mexico

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A. Martín-Park, A. Che-Mendoza, Y. Contreras-Perera, S. Pérez-Carrillo, H. Puerta-Guardo, J. Villegas-Chim, G. Guillermo-May, A. Medina-Barreiro, H. Delfín-González, R. Méndez-Vales, S. Vázquez-Narvaez, J. Palacio-Vargas, F. Correa-Morales, G. Ayora-Tal,  PLoS Negl Trop Dis,  16:e0010324. 2022.
We implemented a controlled before-and-after quasi-experimental study in two suburban localities of Yucatan (Mexico): San Pedro Chimay (SPC), which received IIT-SIT, and San Antonio Tahdzibichén used as control. Release of wAlbB Ae. aegypti males at SPC extended for 6 months ...

Genetically modified mosquitoes for controlling vector-borne diseases? Successful trial gives hope

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T. Deol,  Down To Earth,  2022.
Preliminary results of an open-air study of genetically engineered mosquitoes — with an aim to suppress a wild population of virus-carrying mosquitoes — in the United States have shown promising results. The aim of the experiment by Oxitec, a United Kingdom-based ...

Aedes aegypti abundance and insecticide resistance profiles in the applying Wolbachia to eliminate dengue trial

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W. Tantowijoyo, S. K. Tanamas, I. Nurhayati, S. Setyawan, N. Budiwati, I. Fitriana, I. Ernesia, D. S. Wardana, E. Supriyati, E. Arguni, Y. Meitika, E. Prabowo, B. Andari, B. R. Green, L. Hodgson, E. Rancès, P. A. Ryan, S. L. O'Neill, K. L. Anders, M. R. A,  PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases,  16:e0010284. 2022.
The Applying Wolbachia to Eliminate Dengue (AWED) trial was a parallel cluster randomised trial that demonstrated Wolbachia (wMel) introgression into Ae. aegypti populations reduced dengue incidence. In this predefined substudy, we compared between treatment arms, the relative ...

Release of genetically modified mosquitoes created to fight disease a success: Biotech firm

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C. Greenberg,  National Post,  2022.
The release of genetically modified mosquitoes in the United States created to fight disease has gone according to plan, biotechnology firm Oxitec says.The first phase of the pilot study consisted of releasing almost 5 million modified Aedes aegypti male mosquitoes in the Florida ...

Tests of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Prove Positive

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R. Ellis,  WebMD,  2022.
The first open-air study of genetically modified mosquitoes in the United States has yielded positive results, says Oxitec, the UK-based company that ran the study. However, Oxitec says larger tests are needed to determine whether the insects can suppress the disease-spreading ...

Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Work as Intended

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M. L. Ford,  NEWSER,  2022.
Results are in from a pilot study in Florida, where millions of genetically engineered mosquitoes were released into the wild. Some referred to it as the “Jurassic Park” experiment when it was announced last year, but—so far—everything is going to plan, according to UK ...

A metapopulation approach to identify targets for Wolbachia-based dengue control

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A. Reyna-Lara, D. Soriano-Paños, J. H. Arias-Castro, H. J. Martínez and J. Gómez-Gardeñes,  Chaos,  32:041105. 2022.
Over the last decade, the release of Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti into the natural habitat of this mosquito species has become the most sustainable and long-lasting technique to prevent and control vector-borne diseases, such as dengue, zika, or chikungunya. However, the ...

Environmental factors influence the local establishment of Wolbachia in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in two small communities in central Vietnam [version 2]

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N. T. Hien, D. D. Anh, N. H. Le, N. T. Yen, T. V. Phong, V. S. Nam, T. N. Duong, N. B. Nguyen, D. T. T. Huong, L. Q. Hung, C. N. T. Trinh, N. V. Hoang, V. Q. Mai, L. T. Nghia, N. T. Dong, L. H. Tho, S. Kutcher, T. P. Hurst, J. L. Montgomery, M. Woolfit, E,  Gates Open Research,  5:147. 2022.
Background: The wMel strain of Wolbachia has been successfully introduced into Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and subsequently shown to reduce transmission of dengue and other pathogens, under both laboratory and field conditions. Here we describe the entomological outcomes of wMel ...

Potential Adverse Effects of GE Mosquitoes Unknown

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B. Giuffre,  The Epoch Times,  2022.
“Safe and sustainable.” That’s what Oxitec, a British biological pest control company, calls its genetically modified (GM) or genetically engineered (GE) mosquito pesticide product. The company claims its product is nontoxic to humans and animals and won’t harm beneficial ...

The plan to release genetically engineered mosquitoes in California

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M. Petersen,  Phys Org,  2022.
In the mosquito breeding rooms of British biotech company Oxitec, scientists line up fresh eggs, each the size of a grain of salt. Using microscopic needles, the white-coated researchers inject each egg with a dab of a proprietary synthetic DNA. For four days, Oxitec technicians ...

Genetically-Modified Mosquitos Could Soon Be Released in California

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A. Madrigal,  KQED,  2022.
Millions of genetically-modified, non-biting mosquitoes may soon be set loose in California after federal regulators gave the green light to a study aimed at preventing transmission of diseases like Zika and dengue. British biotech firm Oxitech says its technology alters male ...

Will genetic modification of mosquitoes take a bite out of insects’ population?

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N. Patel,  KCRW,  2022.
An invasive species of aggressive “ankle biters” called the Aedes aegypti mosquito is now in LA, and it’s spreading quickly. These tiny vampires can lay eggs in a space as small as a water-filled bottle cap, and they carry diseases like yellow fever and dengue. A British ...

An army of genetically engineered mosquitoes is about to be released

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M. Menard,  KNX NEWS,  2022.
A British biotech company has been altering the DNA of mosquitoes with the goal of killing off a more dangerous breed capable of spreading deadly diseases. And now they’re preparing to release their “friendly mosquitoes” into the wild. In California. Aedes aegypti is an ...

California’s first genetically modified mosquitoes may soon be released

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A. M. Asperin,  FOX11 Los Angeles,  2022.
How would you feel about a few genetically engineered mosquitoes flying into your neighborhood? It's a possibility after the US Environmental Protection Agency on Friday approved pilot projects of Oxitec's mosquitoes in specific districts in California and Florida. The next ...

In California, an army of genetically engineered mosquitoes awaits release. Will it backfire?

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M. Petersen,  Los Angeles Times,  2022.
In the mosquito breeding rooms of British biotech company Oxitec, scientists line up fresh eggs, each the size of a grain of salt. Using microscopic needles, the white-coated researchers inject each egg with a dab of a proprietary synthetic DNA. For four days, Oxitec technicians ...

Federal Government Approves Release of Millions of Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes in California

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A. Jose,  The Western Journal,  2022.
Genetically modified Aedes aegypti mosquitoes could soon buzz around in California and Florida after the federal government greenlighted a plan to release the insects in the states. The project is spearheaded by biotechnology firm Oxitec, which, among other things, specializes in ...

Billions of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Are Set to Descend on California and Florida This Summer

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J. Rossen,  MENTAL FLOSS,  2022.
Californians may not know it on sight, but there’s going to be something different about their mosquitoes this summer. An invasive species of the bite-prone insects has been genetically modified in an attempt at controlling disease spread. According to Smithsonian, the ...

Genetically modified mosquitoes, a potential antidote to deadly diseases

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TRTWorld,  TRTWorld,  2022.
The US approved the release of billions of genetically modified mosquitoes to reduce the transmission of diseases but critics point to possible unintended consequences. Can genetically modified animals combat the spread of deadly diseases? The United States Environmental ...

Comparison of Ground Release and Drone-Mediated Aerial Release of Aedes aegypti Sterile Males in Southern Mexico: Efficacy and Challenges

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C. F. Marina, P. Liedo, J. G. Bond, A. R. Osorio, J. Valle, R. Angulo-Kladt, Y. Gómez-Simuta, I. Fernández-Salas, A. Dor and T. Williams,  Insects,  13. 2022.
Sterile males of Aedes aegypti were released once a week for 8 weeks to evaluate the dispersal efficiency of ground and aerial drone release methods in a rural village of 26 Ha in southern Mexico. Indoor and outdoor BG-Sentinel traps were placed in 13–16 houses distributed ...

Genetic Stability and Fitness of Aedes aegypti Red-Eye Genetic Sexing Strains With Pakistani Genomic Background for Sterile Insect Technique Applications

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M. Misbah-ul-Haq, D. O. Carvalho, L. D. de la Fuente, A. A. Augustinos and K. Bourtzis,  Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology,  10. 2022.
The mosquito species Aedes aegypti is the primary transmitter of viruses that cause endemic diseases like dengue in Pakistan. It is also a cause of other vector-borne diseases like yellow fever, Zika fever, and chikungunya, which significantly impact human health worldwide. In ...

Why a U.S. Company Plans to Release 2.4 Billion Genetically Modified Mosquitoes

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M. Osborne,  Smithosonian Magazine,  2022.
The Environmental Protection Agency has cleared the release of 2.4 billion genetically-modified mosquitoes in California and Florida. The mosquitoes, created by biotech firm Oxitec, will be non-biting Aedes aegypti males engineered to only produce viable male offspring, per the ...

US poised to release 2.4bn genetically modified male mosquitoes to battle deadly diseases

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G. Canon,  The Guardian,  2022.
Genetically modified male mosquitoes may soon be buzzing across areas of California, in an experiment to stop the spread of invasive species in a warming climate. Earlier this month, the EPA cleared the UK-based biotech company Oxitec to release a maximum of roughly 2.4bn of its ...

Millions of genetically engineered mosquitoes are here to protect us

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M. Kaufman,  MASHABLE,  2022.
Aedes aegypti almost certainly traveled to California in cargo, like many invasive species do. The species, which flourishes in warmer climes, has colonized places like Los Angeles County, and is expected to multiply and spread in these temperate regions as the climate ...

A scourge of genetically modified mosquitoes could be unleashed in California

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J. Bote,  SFGATE,  2022.
A genetically modified scourge of mosquitoes could be unleashed throughout California as municipalities across the state grapple with increasing bouts of an invasive mosquito species. The mosquitoes, developed by the British biotech firm Oxitec, are known as OX5034 — a modified ...

Differential viral RNA methylation contributes to pathogen blocking in Wolbachia-colonized arthropods

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T. Bhattacharya, L. Yan, J. M. Crawford, H. Zaher, I. L. G. Newton and R. W. Hardy,  PLoS Pathogens,  18:e1010393. 2022.
Arthropod endosymbiont Wolbachia pipientis is part of a global biocontrol strategy to reduce the replication of mosquito-borne RNA viruses such as alphaviruses. We previously demonstrated the importance of a host cytosine methyltransferase, DNMT2, in Drosophila and viral RNA as a ...

Billions of GE Mosquitoes May Soon Be Released in California and Florida

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A. N. Mitra,  Earth Island Journal,  2022.
he US Environmental Protection Agency’s decision last week to allow the release of billions of genetically engineered mosquitoes in California and Florida has several environmental and public health groups worried about the potential impacts of the experimental releases on ...

California’s first lab-grown mosquitoes may take flight—stirring controversy

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L. M. Krieger,  Phys Org,  2022.
A biotech firm is seeking permission to release genetically modified mosquitoes into the open air of California for the first time later this year, aiming to reduce the expanding populations of invasive mosquitoes and prevent deadly disease. The controversial research ...

Genetically modified mosquitoes kill their own offspring

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C. Ward,  SYFY,  2022.
Oxitec, a biotech company, has developed a strain of A. aegypti which they call Friendly. Their modified mosquitos are all males and carry a gene which prevents the birth of females in subsequent generations. In short, they’re reducing disease-carrying mosquitos by killing ...

Combining two Genetic Sexing Strains allows sorting of non-transgenic males for Aedes genetic control

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C. Lutrat, M. Burckbuchler, R. P. Olmo, R. Beugnon, A. Fontaine, T. Baldet, J. Bouyer and E. Marois,  bioRxiv,  2022.03.11.483912. 2022.
Chemical control of the mosquito vectors Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti is costly, unsustainable, and increasingly ineffective due to the spread of insecticide resistance. The Sterile Insect Technique is an autocidal control tactic that represents a valuable alternative but ...

Millions Of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes To Be Set Loose In US

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H. Wilmerding,  Daily Caller,  2022.
Millions of genetically modified mosquitoes will be released in the United States as part of an initiative to replace the insects carrying deadly diseases, the company behind the plan announced Tuesday. The program, led by biotechnology company Oxitec, will release roughly 2 ...

Florida Begins Release of Genetically Altered Mosquitoes to Prevent Spread of Zika

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Entrepreneur staff,  Entrepreneur,  2022.
Since 2016, Zika , a disease transmitted by a virus that spreads an invasive species of mosquito, has plagued various regions of the world, including areas of Florida and Texas in the United States. In May 2020, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved a program to ...

2 Billion Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Have Been Approved For Release In Florida And California

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J. U. Nisa,  Wonder Engineering,  2022.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has sanctioned the release of 2 billion genetically modified mosquitos in Florida and California, Oxitec, the company that created the genetically modified mosquitoes, said. Oxitec’s experimental program intends to reduce the spread ...

Billions of genetically modified male mosquitos will be released in California and Florida as a ‘natural pest control’ to stop the spread of diseases like Zika, yellow fever and Dengue

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R. Morrison,  Daily Mail,  2022.
Billions of genetically engineered male mosquitos will be released in California and Florida over the next two years, as part of a mission to kill off biting females. Oxitec, based in Oxford UK, is a biological pest control development firm, that has produced the edited version ...

2 billion genetically modified mosquitos are about to be released in the US

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J. Hawkins,  yahoo,  2022.
Scientists have been playing god with mosquitos for a couple of years now. Back in 2021, British company Oxitec released 750 million lab-modified mosquitos in Florida. Now, the company is gearing up to release another 2 billion genetically modified mosquitos across more of ...

2 Billion Genetically Altered Mosquitoes Will Be Released in Fla. and Calif. to Fight Disease

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A. Adams,  People,  2022.
Billions of genetically modified mosquitoes are expected to be released within the next two years as part of an expanded version of an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) study — but the project is receiving criticism from advocacy groups that believe it could be ...

Genetically modified mosquitoes could be tested in California soon

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S. Milius,  Science News,  2022.
Genetically modified mosquitoes might soon be whining on both U.S. coasts. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved two more years of testing Oxitec’s genetically modified mosquitoes as living pest controls, continuing a pilot program started in 2021 in the Florida ...

Why millions of genetically modified mosquitoes could be released across US

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J. Rogers,  New York Post,  2022.
The US could soon be swarming with genetically altered mosquitoes after the Environmental Protection Agency approved a plan to test the insects. It is hoped the new altered mosquitoes will ward off their natural, disease-causing counterparts. Biotechnology company Oxitec has ...

Genetically Modified Mosquitoes May Be Released in Fla and Calif

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R. Ellis,  WebMD,  2022.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved the release of 2 billion genetically altered mosquitoes in Florida and California, the company that created the genetically modified mosquitoes said. The experimental program created by Oxitec is designed to reduce the ...

2 Billion Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Cleared for Release in California and Florida

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E. Cara,  gizmodo,  2022.
British biotech firm Oxitec announced this week that it has received approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for its genetically modified mosquitoes to be released in parts of Florida and in California, following the completion of a pilot program last year. The ...

Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Set to Be Released in California and Florida

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K. Roberts,  The Epoch Times,  2022.
Millions of genetically modified mosquitoes are set to be released in California and Florida in an effort to reduce the number of real, disease-carrying invasive mosquitoes. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday approved use of the genetically engineered insects in ...

Proposed moquito release for Tulare County draws concern

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E. Smith,  The Business Journal,  2022.
News of the approval to release genetically-modified mosquitoes in Tulare County and Monroe County, Florida has drawn the ire of activists who say the company behind the project has not provided data demonstrating the insects are safe. At the same time, the company says it has ...

Millions of genetically modified mosquitoes may soon be buzzing in Florida and California. Here’s why.

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R. W. Miller,  USA Today,  2022.
Millions of genetically altered mosquitoes that seek to ward off their natural, disease-causing counterparts may soon be released in Florida and California after the Environmental Protection Agency approved a plan to further test the modified insects. Developed by the ...

‘Halt this nightmare immediately’: EPA approves release of genetically-engineered mosquitoes

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J. Corbett,  AlterNet,  2022.
Environmental and public health advocates responded with alarm after the Biden administration on Monday gave a British biotechnology company a green light to unleash billions of genetically engineered mosquitoes in the United States. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ...

Genetically Engineered Mosquito Imminent Mass Release Ignores Science, Public Health and Environmental Risks

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H. Bourque,  Friends of the Earth,  2022.
In defiance of science and public health concerns, today the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved the mass release of billions of experimental genetically engineered (GE) mosquitoes into the United States’ most populous and agriculturally significant states. The ...

GMO mosquitoes set for release in California to quell disease

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M. Renda,  Courthouse News Service,  2022.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved the experimental use of genetically engineered mosquitoes in California and Florida to reduce the populations of invasive mosquitoes that carry a host of infectious diseases like Zika and dengue fever. “With mosquito and ...

EVITA Dengue: a cluster-randomized controlled trial to EValuate the efficacy of Wolbachia-InfecTed Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in reducing the incidence of Arboviral infection in Brazil

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M. H. Collins, G. E. Potter, M. D. T. Hitchings, E. Butler, M. Wiles, J. K. Kennedy, S. B. Pinto, A. B. M. Teixeira, A. Casanovas-Massana, N. G. Rouphael, G. A. Deye, C. P. Simmons, L. A. Moreira, M. L. Nogueira, D. A. T. Cummings, A. I. Ko, M. M. Teixeir,  Trials,  23:185. 2022.
BACKGROUND: Arboviruses transmitted by Aedes aegypti including dengue, Zika, and chikungunya are a major global health problem, with over 2.5 billion at risk for dengue alone. There are no licensed antivirals for these infections, and safe and effective vaccines are not yet ...

Increased biting rate and decreased Wolbachia density in irradiated Aedes mosquitoes

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R. Moretti, E. Lampazzi, C. Damiani, G. Fabbri, G. Lombardi, C. Pioli, A. Desiderio, A. Serrao and M. Calvitti,  Parasites and Vectors,  15:67. 2022.
Releasing considerable numbers of radiation-sterilized males is a promising strategy to suppress mosquito vectors. However, releases may also include small percentages of biting females, which translate to non-negligible numbers when releases are large. Currently, the effects of ...

Wolbachia in Aedes koreicus: Rare Detections and Possible Implications

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C. Damiani, A. Cappelli, F. Comandatore, F. Montarsi, A. Serrao, A. Michelutti, M. Bertola, M. V. Mancini, I. Ricci, C. Bandi and G. Favia,  Insects,  13. 2022.
The emerging distribution of new alien mosquito species was recently described in Europe. In addition to the invasion of Aedes albopictus, several studies have focused on monitoring and controlling other invasive Aedes species, as Aedes koreicus and Aedes japonicus. Considering ...

Considerations for homology-based DNA repair in mosquitoes: Impact of sequence heterology and donor template source

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J. X. D. Ang, K. Nevard, R. Ireland, D.-K. Purusothaman, S. A. N. Verkuijl, L. Shackleford, E. Gonzalez, M. A. E. Anderson and L. Alphey,  PLOS Genetics,  18:e1010060. 2022.
Author summary The field of genetic control of mosquito vectors has progressed rapidly in recent years, especially in Cas9-based control systems, due to its robustness to elicit a species-specific and dispersive control of mosquito population. To generate a Cas9-based ...

Adult mosquito predation and potential impact on the sterile insect technique

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N. S. Bimbilé Somda, H. Maïga, W. Mamai, T. Bakhoum, T. Wallner, S. B. Poda, H. Yamada and J. Bouyer,  Scientific Reports,  12:2561. 2022.
The sterile insect technique is a promising environmentally friendly method for mosquito control. This technique involves releasing laboratory-produced sterile males into a target field site, and its effectiveness may be affected by the extent of adult mosquito predation. Sterile ...

Quality Control Methods for Aedes albopictus Sterile Male Transportation

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G. D. Mastronikolos, A. Kapranas, G. K. Balatsos, C. Ioannou, D. P. Papachristos, P. G. Milonas, A. Puggioli, I. Pajović, D. Petrić, R. Bellini, A. Michaelakis and N. T. Papadopoulos,  Insects,  2022.
Genetic based mosquito control methods have been gaining ground in recent years for their potential to achieve effective suppression or replacement of vector populations without hampering environments or causing any public health risk. These methods require the mass rearing of ...

Assessing Aedes aegypti candidate genes during viral infection and Wolbachia-mediated pathogen blocking

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L. T. Sigle, M. Jones, M. Novelo, S. A. Ford, N. Urakova, K. Lymperopoulos, R. T. Sayre, Z. Xi, J. L. Rasgon and E. A. McGraw,  Insect Molecular Biology,  2022.
Abstract One approach to control dengue virus transmission is the symbiont Wolbachia, that limits viral infection in mosquitoes. Despite plans for its widespread use in Aedes aegypti, Wolbachia's mode of action remains poorly understood. Many studies suggest that the mechanism is ...

A flavivirus-inducible gene expression system that modulates broad-spectrum antiviral activity against dengue and Zika viruses

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S.-C. Weng, Y.-X. Zhou and S.-H. Shiao,  Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology,  142:103723. 2022.
Incidence of dengue virus (DENV) and Zika virus (ZIKV), two mosquito-borne flaviviruses, is increasing in large parts of the world. Vaccination and medication for these diseases are unsatisfactory. Here, we developed a novel antiviral approach, using a virus-inducible gene ...

Could Sterile Aedes albopictus Male Releases Interfere with Aedes aegypti Population in Reunion Island?

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H. F. Andrianjakarivony, D. Damiens, L. Marquereau, B. Gaudillat, N. Habchi-Hanriot and L.-C. Gouagna,  Insects,  13. 2022.
In Reunion Island, the feasibility of an Aedes albopictus control program using the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) is studied. Because, in some regions, Ae. albopictus is living in sympatry with Aedes aegypti, the impact of releasing millions of sterile male Ae. albopictus on ...

Effects of Sterile Males and Fertility of Infected Mosquitoes on Mosquito-Borne Disease Dynamics

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X. L. Sun, S. Q. Liu, Y. F. Lv and Y. Z. Pei,  Bulletin of Mathematical Biology,  84:33. 2022.
By studying an infection-age structured model, we consider the effects of releasing sterile males and the fertility of infected mosquitoes on the mosquito-borne diseases transmission including the extinction of mosquitoes, the elimination and persistence of diseases. Firstly, ...

The prince, the mayor, and the U.S. fish that ate Japan

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C. Elliot,  National Geographic,  2022.
When Crown Prince Akihito visited Chicago on October 3, 1960, his sole request was to visit Shedd Aquarium. Then Mayor Richard J. Daley, an avid angler, presented the prince with a gift that he scooped with a net from one of the tanks himself: 18 bluegills, the official Illinois ...

Introgression of the Aedes aegypti red-eye genetic sexing strains into different genomic backgrounds for sterile insect technique applications

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A. A. Augustinos , K. Nikolouli , L. D. De La Fuente , M. Misbah-Ul-Haq, D. O. Carvalho and K. Bourtzis,  Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology,  2022.
Aedes aegypti is an invasive mosquito species and major vector of human arboviruses. A wide variety of control methods have been employed to combat mosquito populations. One of them is the sterile insect technique (SIT) that has recently attracted considerable research efforts ...

Beyond the eye: Kynurenine pathway impairment causes midgut homeostasis dysfunction and survival and reproductive costs in blood-feeding mosquitoes

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V. Bottino-Rojas, I. Ferreira, R. D. Nunes, X. Feng, T. B. Pham, A. Kelsey, R. Carballar-Lejarazú, V. Gantz, P. L. Oliveira and A. A. James,  Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology,  103720. 2022.
Insect ommochrome biosynthesis pathways metabolize tryptophan to generate eye-color pigments and naturally occurring alleles of pathway genes are useful phenotypic markers in transgenesis studies. Pleiotropic effects of mutations in some genes exert a load on both survival and ...

Determinants of stakeholders’ attitudes and intentions toward supporting the use of Wolbachia-infected Aedes mosquitoes for dengue control

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A. F. Arham, L. Amin, M. A. C. Mustapa, Z. Mahadi, M. Yaacob and M. Ibrahim,  BMC Public Health,  21:2314. 2021.
BACKGROUND: A recent approach in controlling dengue is by using the Wolbachia-infected Aedes mosquito (WiAM). The approach has been reported to be more effective than traditional methods, such as fogging. Therefore, it is imperative to assess the factors predicting its acceptance ...

Temporal Viability of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus Eggs Using Two Hygroscopic Substances as Preservatives under a Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) Program in Southern Mexico

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E. N. Martínez-García, E. E. Díaz-González, C. F. Marina, J. G. Bond, J. J. Rodríguez-Rojas, G. Ponce-García, R. M. Sánchez-Casas and I. Fernández-Salas,  Insects,  13. 2021.
Dengue and other Aedes-borne diseases have dramatically increased over the last decades. The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) has been successfully used as part of integrated pest strategies to control populations of insect-plant and livestock pests and is currently being tested as ...

Perspectives into Genetic Manipulations for Control of Dengue Vector (Aedes aegypti Linnaeus, 1762) with Reference to Progress in Indian Experiments

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R. Chatterjee, S. Bhattacharya and B. K. Tyagi,  Genetically Modified and other Innovative Vector Control Technologies,  2021.
Vector-borne diseases like malaria, dengue, chikungunya, Japanese encephalitis, Zika and others claim millions of lives across the globe annually, and as such their control has become an ardent necessity. Past attempts over the decades have introduced vector control through ...

Aedes Control Using Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) in Malaysia

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W. A. Nazni, G.-N. Teoh, S. I. Shaikh Norman Hakimi, M. A. Muhammad Arif, M. Tanusshni, M. A. Nuradila, A. Nurfarahin Hanini, I. A. Shazia, A.-M. Tan, H. Rabizah, M. D. Ahmad Zainuri, A. Hasnor Hadi, Y.-L. Cheong, A. Norazah, H. Maiga, R. S. Lees and L. H,  Genetically Modified and other Innovative Vector Control Technologies,  2021.
The continued occurrence of massive outbreaks of Aedes-borne viral diseases of dengue, chikungunya, Zika and yellow fever, in spite of intensive and extensive application of conventional control measures, necessitates application of new tools, such as sterile insect technique ...

Engineering RNA Interference-Based Dengue Virus Resistance in the Mosquito Vector Aedes aegypti: The Current Status and Future Directions

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S. D. Denipitiyage, Y. I. N. S. Gunawardene, Z. Federico and R. S. Dassanayake,  Genetically Modified and other Innovative Vector Control Technologies,  2021.
Dengue is an acute, febrile disease caused by the dengue viruses (DENV) comprising four serotypes and transmitted by the mosquito vector Ae. aegypti. DENV are single-stranded, positive-sense RNA viruses of the family Flaviviridae. Dengue is declared as a current significant ...

Wolbachia: Biological Control Strategy Against Arboviral Diseases

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I. Mohanty, A. Rath and R. K. Hazra,  Genetically Modified and other Innovative Vector Control Technologies,  2021.
Arboviral diseases like dengue, chikungunya, and Zika are among the major causes of mortality and morbidity in human population. The limited control methods together with lack of antiviral therapies and effective vaccines have paved way for new approaches. One such approach to ...

Advances in Aedes Mosquito Vector Control Strategies Using CRISPR/Cas9

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P. D. S. U. Wickramasinghe, G. N. Silva, Y. I. N. Silva Gunawardene and R. S. Dassanayake,  Genetically Modified and other Innovative Vector Control Technologies,  2021.
Advancements in genetic engineering have resulted in the development of mosquitoes with impaired vector competence, thereby limiting acquisition and transmission of pathogens. The main dengue (DENV) vector, Aedes aegypti, is an invasive species that have spread unwittingly across ...

Oxitec wraps mosquito trials for the season

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T. O'Hara,  Keynews.com,  2021.
The private bio-tech company Oxitec has wrapped up its test release of genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys

Genomic insertion locus and Cas9 expression in the germline affect CRISPR/Cas9-based gene drive performance in the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti

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W. R. Reid, J. Lin, A. E. Williams, R. Juncu, K. E. Olson and A. W. E. Franz,  bioRxiv,  2021.12.08.471839. 2021.
The yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti is a major vector of arthropod-borne viruses, including dengue, chikungunya, and Zika. A novel approach to mitigate arboviral infections is to generate mosquitoes refractory to infection by overexpressing antiviral effector molecules. Such ...

In Real Life: GMOsquitoes

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Newsy,  2021.
The release of genetically modified mosquitoes in Florida gives hope of reducing the spread of disease while causing concerns among some citizens.

Combined sterile insect technique and incompatible insect technique: concept, study design, experience and lessons learned from a pilot suppression trial in Thailand

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Kittayapong, P.,  AREA-WIDE INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT: Development and Field Application,  2021.
Climate change, rapid global transport and land use change leading to urbanization and agricultural intensification have facilitated disease emergence in vulnerable regions like Southeast Asia, and also the global expansion of vectors and vector-borne diseases into other regions ...

Ecology, behaviour and area-wide control of the floodwater mosquito Aedes sticticus, with potential of future integration of the sterile insect technique

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Lundstrom, J. O. Schafer, M. L. Kittayapong, P.,  AREA-WIDE INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT: Development and Field Application,  2021.
The strategy of aerial control of the floodwater mosquito Aedes sticticus (Meigen) in the floodplains of River Dalalven, central Sweden, was developed to directly address specific larval breeding areas in temporary flooded wet meadows and swamps. Using the Bti-based larvicide ...

Major phase of Florida Keys GMO mosquito release complete, company says

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D. Goodhue,  Miami Herald,  2021.
A British biotechnology company and the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District on Tuesday announced they have “successfully concluded” a major phase in a controversial trial project aimed at wiping out an invasive species of mosquito known to spread dangerous diseases like ...

Evaluation of Transgenic Aedes aegypti L. Strain in India: A Friendly Mosquito

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P. B. Patil, K. K. Yadav, S. K. Dasgupta, U. B. Zehr, S. R. Barwale and B. Char,  Genetically Modified and other Innovative Vector Control Technologies,  2021.
Aedes aegypti L. is a primary vector of dengue and is also responsible for transmission of other arboviral diseases including chikungunya, yellow fever, and Zika virus worldwide. India is attributed with as much as 34% of the global burden of dengue infection as per the recent ...

Science Has Given Us the Power to Undermine Nature’s Deadliest Creature: Should We Use It?

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E. Herold,  leaps.org,  2021.
British biotech company Oxitec has engineered male mosquitoes to have a genetic "kill-switch" that could potentially crash the local population of Aedes aegypti, at least in the short-term. The modified males that are being released are intended to mate with wild females. Males ...

High Temperature Cycles Result in Maternal Transmission and Dengue Infection Differences Between Wolbachia Strains in Aedes aegypti

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M. V. Mancini, T. H. Ant, C. S. Herd, J. Martinez, S. M. Murdochy, D. D. Gingell, E. Mararo, P. C. D. Johnson and S. P. Sinkins,  mBio,  e0025021. 2021.
Environmental factors play a crucial role in the population dynamics of arthropod endosymbionts, and therefore in the deployment of Wolbachia symbionts for the control of dengue arboviruses. The potential of Wolbachia to invade, persist, and block virus transmission depends in ...

The drone, the tool of the future to combat its spread

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T. Thompson,  Your Decommissioning News,  2021.
Drones could become a promising tool in the fight against the tiger mosquito, according to a study published Tuesday by French researchers. French researchers said on Tuesday that drones could, within a few years, integrate into the arsenal of the fight against the tiger ...

Oxitec Announces Ground-breaking Commercial Launch of Its Friendly™ Aedes aegypti Solution in Brazil

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Oxitec,  COSION,  2021.
Oxitec, the leading developer of biological solutions to control pests, announced today the landmark commercial launch of its Friendly™ Aedes aegypti solution designed specifically for use by homeowners, businesses, and communities to control the dengue-spreading Aedes aegypti ...

Fighting Dengue Virus with Biological Weapons

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Z. Ebrahim,  Inter Press Service,  2021.
For the last 11 years, he has been trying to convince both the provincial and central governments of making “billions of mosquitoes in labs”, which when released in the wild, could reduce the spread of dengue virus, but with little luck. The released genetically engineered ...

Prevalence and molecular characterization of Wolbachia in field-collected Aedes albopictus, Anopheles sinensis, Armigeres subalbatus, Culex pipiens and Cx. tritaeniorhynchus in China

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Y. Yang, Y. He, G. Zhu, J. Zhang, Z. Gong, S. Huang, G. Lu, Y. Peng, Y. Meng, X. Hao, C. Wang, J. Sun and S. Shang,  PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases,  15:e0009911. 2021.
Wolbachia are maternally transmitted intracellular bacteria that can naturally and artificially infect arthropods and nematodes. Recently, they were applied to control the spread of mosquito-borne pathogens by causing cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) between germ cells of females ...

Wolbachia goes to work in the war on mosquitoes

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S. Ong,  Nature,  598:S32-s34. 2021.
There are two approaches to tackling dengue with Wolbachia. The first involves releasing only modified male mosquitoes. Since 2015, this strategy has been successfully adopted in Singapore and Guangzhou, China, and in parts of the United States, such as Miami, Texas and ...

Novel Symbiotic Genome-Scale Model Reveals Wolbachia’s Arboviral Pathogen Blocking Mechanism in Aedes aegypti

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N. E. Jiménez, Z. P. Gerdtzen, Á. Olivera-Nappa, J. C. Salgado and C. Conca,  mBio,  e0156321. 2021.
Arboviral diseases such as Zika and Dengue have been on the rise mainly due to climate change, and the development of new treatments and strategies to limit their spreading is needed. The use of Wolbachia as an approach for disease control has motivated new research related to ...

Sterilizing Male Mosquitoes with Gene Editing to Reduce Disease Spread

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Global Biodefense Staff,  Global Biodefense,  2021.
Researchers at the Army’s Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies and the University of California Santa Barbara used a gene editing tool known as CRISPR-Cas9 to target a specific gene tied to fertility in male mosquitoes. Researchers experimented with the Aedes aegypti ...

Trial suppresses mosquitoes using non-GMO approach

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GM Watch,  GM Watch,  2021.
In a first for the Southern Hemisphere, researchers have shown that a bacterium can successfully suppress populations of the invasive, disease-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquito that is responsible for spreading dengue, yellow fever and Zika. Published in PNAS (see abstract below), ...

Invasive, disease-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquito sterilized with bacteria and eradicated in large-scale trial

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CSIRO,  Phys Org,  2021.
In a first for the Southern Hemisphere, researchers have shown a bacteria can successfully sterilize and eradicate the invasive, disease carrying Aedes aegypti mosquito which is responsible for spreading dengue, yellow fever and Zika. The breakthrough could support the ...

Releasing incompatible males drives strong suppression across populations of wild and Wolbachiat-carrying Aedes aegypti in Australia

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N. W. Beebe, D. Pagendam, B. J. Trewin, A. Boomer, M. Bradford, A. Ford, C. Liddington, A. Bondarenco, P. J. De Barro, J. Gilchrist, C. Paton, K. M. Staunton, B. Johnson, A. J. Maynard, G. J. Devine, L. E. Hugo, G. Rasic, H. Cook, P. Massaro, N. Snoad, J.,  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,  118:e2106828118. 2021.
Through replicated treatment and control experiments in northern Australia, regular releases of Aedes aegypti males infected with a Wolbachia from Aedes albopictus was shown to drive strong population suppression in mosaic populations of wild-type (no Wolbachia) and ...

Investigation of Developmental Stage/Age, Gamma Irradiation Dose, and Temperature in Sterilization of Male Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) in a Sterile Insect Technique Program

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B. Ernawan, T. Anggraeni, S. Yusmalinar and I. Ahmad,  Journal of Medical Entomology,  59:320-327. 2021.
The sterilization process using gamma irradiation is a crucial component in a program using sterile insect technique (SIT) to control Aedes aegypti. Unfortunately, there is no efficient standard protocol for sterilizing mosquitoes that can produce a high level of ...

Plan for California’s Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Draws Fire

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T. Baltz,  Bloomberg Law,  2021.
A U.K.-based biotech company’s proposal to release genetically engineered mosquitoes in California as a disease-control measure is prompting criticism that the program could create unnatural consequences. Oxitec says it would unleash safe, non-biting male mosquitoes to reduce ...

Novel Sterile Insect Technology Program Results in Suppression of a Field Mosquito Population and Subsequently to Reduced Incidence of Dengue

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Lisiane de Castro Poncio, Filipe Apolinário dos Anjos, Deborah A de Oliveira, Débora Rebechi, et al.,  The Journal of Infectious Diseases,  224:1005-1014. 2021.
There is a steady rise in the global incidence of Aedes-borne arbovirus disease. It has become urgent to develop alternative solutions for mosquito vector control. We developed a new method of sterilization of male mosquitoes with the goal to suppress a local Aedes aegypti ...

Mosquitoes Sterilized by CRISPR Powered Precision System

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A. A. Sarkar,  Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News,  2021.
Each year millions around the world are infected by dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses. The principal culprit behind the transmission of these deadly diseases is the mosquito vector, Aedes aegypti. Conventional methods of pest control have so far fallen short. To curb the ...

New precision-guided sterile insect technique designed to control disease-spreading mosquitoes

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E. Henderson,  News Medical Life Sciences,  2021.
Leveraging advancements in CRISPR-based genetic engineering, researchers at the University of California San Diego have created a new system that restrains populations of mosquitoes that infect millions each year with debilitating diseases. The new precision-guided sterile ...

Genetic engineering tech promises to sterilize disease-spreading mosquitoes

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B. Hays,  UPI,  2021.
Inspired by improvements in CRISPR-based genetic engineering, scientists have developed a more precise insect sterilization system to curtail, or even eliminate, disease-spreading Aedes aegypti mosquito populations. The so-called "precision-guided sterile insect technique," or ...

Genetic Engineering Technology Promises To Sterilize Disease-Spreading Mosquito Populations

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D. Gyllhem,  VIGOURTIMES,  2021.
Inspired by improvements in CRISPR-based genetic engineering, scientists have developed a more precise insect sterilization system to curtail, or even eliminate, disease-spreading Aedes aegypti mosquito populations. The so-called “precision-guided sterile insect technique,” ...

New Technology Designed to Genetically Control Disease-spreading Mosquitoes

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M. Aguilera,  UC San Diego News Center,  2021.
Leveraging advancements in CRISPR-based genetic engineering, researchers at the University of California San Diego have created a new system that restrains populations of mosquitoes that infect millions each year with debilitating diseases. An illustration by study coauthor ...

Suppressing mosquito populations with precision guided sterile males

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M. Li, T. Yang, M. Bui, S. Gamez, T. Wise, N. P. Kandul, J. Liu, L. Alcantara, H. Lee, J. R. Edula, R. Raban, Y. Zhan, Y. Wang, N. DeBeaubien, J. Chen, H. M. Sánchez C, J. B. Bennett, I. Antoshechkin, C. Montell, J. M. Marshall and O. S. Akbari,  Nature Communications,  12:5374. 2021.
The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the principal vector for arboviruses including dengue/yellow fever, chikungunya, and Zika virus, infecting hundreds of millions of people annually. Unfortunately, traditional control methodologies are insufficient, so innovative control methods are ...

Two newly introduced Wolbachia endosymbionts induce cell host differences in competitiveness and metabolic responses

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T. P. Li, S. S. Zha, C. Y. Zhou, X. Xia, A. A. Hoffmann and X. Y. Hong,  Appl Environ Microbiol,  Aem0147921. 2021.
Wolbachia endosymbionts can induce multiple reproductive manipulations in their hosts, with cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) being one of the most common manipulations. The important agricultural pests, white-backed planthopper (Sogatella furcifera) and brown planthopper ...

Assessment of fitness and vector competence of a New Caledonia wMel Aedes aegypti strain before field-release

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N. Pocquet, O. O’Connor, H. A. Flores, J. Tutagata, M. Pol, D. J. Hooker, C. Inizan, S. Russet, J. M. Duyvestyn, E. C. Pacidônio, D. Girault, D. da Silva Gonçalves, M. Minier, F. Touzain, E. Chalus, K. Lucien, F. Cheilan, T. Derycke, S. Laumond, C. P. Sim,  PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases,  15:e0009752. 2021.
Dengue represents a risk for almost half of the world’s population, especially throughout the tropics. In New Caledonia, dengue outbreaks have become more frequent in the past decade along with the recent circulation of chikungunya and Zika viruses. The opportunity to use the ...

Genetically Modified Mosquitoes — What’s The Real Story?

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SPW Staff,  Southeast Product Weekly,  2021.
You’ve heard about the genetically modified mutant mosquitoes being released in the Florida Keys — but what exactly is going on, and how, and why? Basically, researchers in parts of the Florida Keys are releasing male mosquitoes that have been genetically modified to produce ...

wMel Wolbachia genome remains stable after 7 years in Australian Aedes aegypti field populations

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K. R. Dainty, J. Hawkey, L. M. Judd, E. C. Pacidônio, J. M. Duyvestyn, D. S. Gonçalves, S. Y. Lin, T. B. O'Donnell, S. L. O'Neill, C. P. Simmons, K. E. Holt and H. A. Flores,  Microbial Genomics,  7. 2021.
Infection of wMel Wolbachia in Aedes aegypti imparts two signature features that enable its application for biocontrol of dengue. First, the susceptibility of mosquitoes to viruses such as dengue and Zika is reduced. Second, a reproductive manipulation is caused that enables wMel ...

EPA Seeks Public Comment on Proposed Amendment to Experimental Use Permit for Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes

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PCT Staff,  Pest Control Technology,  2021.
EPA is seeking public comment on a proposed amendment to extend and expand an approved Experimental Use Permit (EUP). The EUP currently allows Oxitec Ltd. to field test the use of genetically engineered Aedes aegypti mosquitoes as a way to reduce mosquito populations in Florida ...

UF/IFAS Researchers Explain Science Behind Genetically Modified Mosquitoes

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PCT Staff,  Pest Control Technology,  2021.
South Florida residents seeking science-based information about genetically modified mosquitoes can access a new, online resource from University of Florida scientists at the UF/IFAS Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory.“ Genetically Modified Mosquitoes” is the latest ...

Millions of Lab-Grown Mosquitoes Are Being Released in Guangzhou

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F. 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 ...

New Way to Reduce Diseases Spreading Through Mosquitos

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Dr Jayashree,  Medindia,  2021.
Using a gene editing tool known as CRISPR-Cas9 that targets specific genes tied to fertility in male mosquitoes, we can slow the spread of potentially deadly diseases such as Zika, dengue fever and yellow fever. This genome editing tool is creating a buzz in the science world, as ...

Gene Editing Could Render Mosquitos Infertile

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U.S. Army DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory Public Affairs,  U.S. Army,  2021.

Mobilizing Mutant Mosquitoes to Fight Malaria

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D. Mclaughlin and J. Recht,  United Nations Foundation,  2021.
World Mosquito Day today marks the 1897 discovery by Sir Ronald Ross that female Anopheles mosquitoes spread malaria. Since that breakthrough, the world has fought this deadly disease through scientific research and new technology. While astounding progress has been made against ...

Why Genes That Make Mosquitoes Glow Can Help Reduce Vector-Borne Disease

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E. Ricciuti,  Entomology Today,  2021.
Fireflies they are not, but glow they do. Not in the dark, to be sure, but mosquitoes genetically modified in the laboratory for an emerging approach to reducing the threat of vector-borne disease look like miniature neon signs when subjected to ultraviolet light. To produce ...

Genetically Modified Mosquitoes

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E. P. Caragata, Y. Lee and E. A. Buckner,  UF IFAS Extension Service,  2021.
Genetically modified (GM) mosquitoes are controversial, partly because of misinformation. This publication provides science-based information about GM mosquitoes to the public and anyone involved in mosquito control. It explains what GM mosquitoes are and why they are being ...

Oxitec Advances Process to Bring Friendly™ Mosquito Technology to California to Help Government Agencies Protect Public Health

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Oxitec,  Oxitec,  2021.
Following successful launch of its Friendly™ Aedes aegypti pilot program in the Florida Keys, Oxitec, the leading developer of biological solutions to control pests that transmit disease, destroy crops and harm livestock, has requested approval from the U.S. Environmental ...

Transgenic expression of Nix converts genetic females into males and allows automated sex sorting in Aedes albopictus

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C. Lutrat, R. P. Olmo, T. Baldet, J. Bouyer and E. Marois,  bioRxiv,  2021.07.28.454191. 2021.
Aedes albopictus is a major vector of arboviruses. Better understanding of its sex determination is crucial for developing mosquito control tools, especially genetic sexing strains. In Aedes aegypti, Nix is the primary gene responsible for masculinization and Nix-expressing ...

The Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) hsp83 Gene Promoter Drives Strong Ubiquitous DsRed and ZsGreen Marker Expression in Transgenic Mosquitoes

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S. H. Webster and M. J. Scott,  Journal of Medical Entomology,  2021.
Transgenic strains of the mosquito disease vector Aedes aegypti (L.) are being developed for population suppression or modification. Transgenic mosquitoes are identified using fluorescent protein genes. Here we describe DsRed and ZsGreen marker genes driven by the constitutive ...

Unique effort underway to control deadly mosquitos in Florida Keys

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K. Corso and L. Aguirre,  Local10.com,  2021.
According to the World Health Organization, more than 50% of the world’s population is under the threat of mosquito borne diseases. In South Florida, the Keys are a hot spot for infection and now the first place in the United States for a novel approach to eradicating these ...

Fighting disease: How are genetically engineered mosquitoes regulated?

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A. Julie,  Global News,  2021.
Mosquitoes have long been associated with the spread of diseases like malaria, dengue fever and the Zika virus. But scientists around the world have been exploring the possibility that mosquitoes could also be key to slowing the spread of disease. By genetically altering the DNA ...

A wAlbB Wolbachia&lt transinfection displays stable phenotypic effects across divergent Aedes aegypti mosquito backgrounds

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P. A. Ross, X. Gu, K. L. Robinson, Q. Yang, E. Cottingham, Y. Zhang, H. L. Yeap, X. Xu, N. M. Endersby-Harshman and A. A. Hoffmann,  bioRxiv,  2021.06.25.450002. 2021.
Aedes mosquitoes harboring intracellular Wolbachia bacteria are being released in arbovirus and mosquito control programs. With releases taking place around the world, understanding the contribution of host variation to Wolbachia phenotype is crucial. We generated a Wolbachia ...

Manipulated Mosquitoes Cut Dengue by 77%

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T. Hayes,  Healthcare Packaging,  2021.
Dengue, a mosquito-borne viral disease, wasn’t that common 50 years ago. In fact, only nine countries had severe outbreaks. But since then, it’s been on a steady incline to the point that there are now 400 million infections a year that contribute to 22,000 deaths. ...

Wolbachia-mediated sterility suppresses Aedes aegypti populations in the urban tropics

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Project Wolbachia-Singapore Consortium,  medRxiv,  2021.
Incompatible insect technique (IIT) via releases of male Wolbachiainfected mosquitoes is a promising tool for dengue control. In a three-year trial in Singaporean high-rise housing estates, we demonstrated that Wolbachia-based IIT dramatically reduces both wildtype Aedes aegypti ...

Dengue fever: Upstaged but not outmatched by COVID-19

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C. E. Baclig,  INQUIRER.NET,  2021.
Science has made gains in the war on dengue and other diseases that mosquitoes carry, like malaria.One of these is the World Mosquito Program (WMP), a non-profit initiative that aims to protect the global community from mosquito-borne viral diseases, by deploying a natural ...

Genetically Modified Mosquitoes; ‘Truth Like Oil’ Novel

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Here and Now,  WBUR,  2021.
Florida Keys officials are working on a unique experiment: hatching thousands of genetically modified mosquitos and releasing them. Andrea Leal of the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District explains.

Dengue Infections Can Be Sharply Reduced With Wolbachia Bacteria

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J. Stone,  Medscape,  2021.
A modestly titled new study released in the New England Journal of Medicine belies the extraordinary 77% protective efficacy reported for preventing dengue infections with Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. A cluster-randomized clinical trial, the AWED ("Applying ...

Making mosquitoes to fight mosquitoes to prevent dengue

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A. George,  Times of India,  2021.
In 2017, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted that the national capitl needed to be made mosquito-free. The same year, his Kerala counterpart, Pinaray Vijayan, called a three-day state-wide cleanliness drive as hospitals filled with genue patients.

The First Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Have Just Been Released in The US

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Admin,  Science World,  2021.
The biotech firm Oxitec has released its genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys, with the goal of suppressing wild, disease-carrying mosquito populations in the region. This is the first time genetically modified mosquitoes have been released in the US. Oxitec ...

Using Wolbachia to Eliminate Dengue: Will the Virus Fight Back?

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M. Edenborough Kathryn, A. Flores Heather, P. Simmons Cameron, E. Fraser Johanna and C. Pierson Ted,  Journal of Virology,  95:e02203-20. 2021.
Recent fieldtrials havedemonstratedthatdengue incidence can besubstantially reduced by introgressing strains of the endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia into Aedes aegypti mosquito populations. This strategy relies on Wolbachia reducing the susceptibility of Ae. aegypti to ...

Dengue Fever Cut Down by 77% With Groundbreaking Bacteria-Armed Mosquitoes

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M. Davis,  The Science Times,  2021.
Scientists found that dengue fever cases have decreased by 77% in a groundbreaking trial that took place in Yogyakarta City, Indonesia. They used Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes that reduced their ability to spread the dengue fever. The team at the World Mosquito Program said that ...

Mosquito ‘bacteria hack’ nearly eliminates dengue fever and could save millions of lives

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A. Wilkins,  METRO,  2021.
Mosquitoes infected with a ‘miraculous’ bacteria have been shown to reduce dengue fever cases by 77%, in a groundbreaking new study. Scientists released mosquitoes infected with ‘Wolbachia’ bacteria into the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta – but only in certain zones. In ...

‘Miraculous’ mosquito hack cuts dengue by 77%

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J. Gallagher,  BBC,  2021.
Dengue fever cases have been cut by 77% in a "groundbreaking" trial that manipulates the mosquitoes that spread it, say scientists. They used mosquitoes infected with "miraculous" bacteria that reduce the insect's ability to spread dengue. The trial took place in Yogyakarta city, ...

Modified mosquitoes reduce dengue cases by 77% in Indonesia experiment

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M. Fox,  CNN,  2021.
An experiment to infect mosquitoes with bacteria that stop them from transmitting viruses appears to have helped reduced the spread of deadly dengue virus in Indonesia, researchers reported Wednesday. The modified mosquitoes thrived for three years, and cases of dengue were ...

Efficacy of Wolbachia-Infected Mosquito Deployments for the Control of Dengue

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A. Utarini, C. Indriani, R. A. Ahmad, W. Tantowijoyo, E. Arguni, M. R. Ansari, E. Supriyati, D. S. Wardana, Y. Meitika, I. Ernesia, I. Nurhayati, E. Prabowo, B. Andari, B. R. Green, L. Hodgson, Z. Cutcher, E. Rancès, P. A. Ryan, S. L. O’Neill, S. M. Dufau,  New England Journal of Medicine,  384:2177-2186. 2021.
BACKGROUND Aedes aegypti mosquitoes infected with the wMel strain of Wolbachia pipientis are less susceptible than wild-type A. aegypti to dengue virus infection. METHODS We conducted a cluster-randomized trial involving releases of wMel-infected A. aegypti mosquitoes for the ...

How AI and mosquito sex parties can save the world

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D. Takahashi,  Ventura Beat,  2021.
Jerusalem-based Diptera.ai has figured out a way to use AI to fight the growing threat of mosquitoes, which are spreading malaria and viruses like Zika, dengue, and yellow fever. While the method for fighting mosquitoes has been around for decades, AI can take it to a new level ...

Mosquitoes armed with virus-fighting bacteria sharply curb dengue infections, hospitalizations

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K. Servick,  Science,  2021.
A strategy for fighting dengue fever with bacteria-armed mosquitoes has passed its most rigorous test yet: a large, randomized, controlled trial. Researchers reported today dramatic reductions in rates of dengue infection and hospitalization in areas of an Indonesian city where ...

Study demonstrates ‘exciting potential’ of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes to control dengue

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G. Gallagher,  Healio,  2021.
The release of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes led to a 77% reduction in the incidence of symptomatic dengue in an Indonesian city, according to researchers, who said the same approach could be used to fight other mosquito-borne diseases. The study tested a strain of Wolbachia ...

Mutant mosquitoes carrying ‘death gene’ released as ‘bio-engineered’ insects terrify

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J. Caven,  Daily Star,  2021.
Mutant mosquitoes which carry a ‘death gene’ have been released into the skies in a bid to curb diseases from spreading to humans. Tens of thousands of genetically modified male insects will mate with female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which transmit illnesses, in Florida ...

Genetically Altered Mosquitoes Target Deadly Dengue Fever and Zika

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R. L. Hotz,  Wall Street Journal,  2021.
Across the Florida Keys this week, newly hatched mosquitoes are swarming from damp flowerpots, waterlogged spare tires, trash cans and drainage ditches. In six neighborhoods, however, a change is buzzing in the air. Scientists have genetically modified thousands of these ...

Improving mosquito control strategies with population genomics

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T. L. Schmidt, N. M. Endersby-Harshman and A. A. Hoffmann,  Trends in Parasitology,  37:907-921. 2021.
Mosquito control strategies increasingly apply knowledge from population genomics research. This review highlights recent applications to three research domains: mosquito invasions, insecticide resistance evolution, and rear and release programs. Current research trends follow ...

Mosquitoes are deadly pests, genetically-modified mosquitoes could help stop disease

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T. Browne,  ClickOrlando,  2021.
Hearing the words “genetically modified mosquitoes” can sound like the plot for a science-fiction movie but Meredith Fenson, a native Floridian turned biological pest control specialist says, “mosquitoes are the world’s deadliest animal by far” and a study happening ...

Genetic engineering may help control disease-carrying mosquitoes

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Anonymous,  The Economist,  2021.
EVERY YEAR, hundreds of millions of people catch mosquito-borne diseases like malaria and dengue fever. Hundreds of thousands die. Drug treatments are imperfect. And, despite decades of effort, vaccines have, for many of these diseases, proved tricky to perfect. Better, then, to ...

Suppression of female fertility in Aedes aegypti with a CRISPR-targeted male-sterile mutation

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J. Chen, J. Luo, Y. Wang, A. S. Gurav, M. Li, O. S. Akbari and C. Montell,  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,  118:e2105075118. 2021.
We introduced and characterized the impact on female fertility of an Ae. aegypti mutation that disrupts a gene that is specifically expressed in testes. We used CRISPR/Cas9 to generate a null mutation in the Ae. aegypti β2-tubulin (B2t) gene, which eliminates male fertility. ...

Genetically Modified Mosquitoes: What to Know

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N. Pathak,  WebMD,  2021.
It sounds like something out of a movie: a biotech company releases genetically modified mosquitoes into the wild. But this is the real deal, a test that’s been done in a handful of countries around the world and that is underway in the U.S. Scientists hope these bugs can help ...

Sterilizing skeeters using CRISPR/Cas9

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H. Tasoff,  Phy Org,  2021.
Mosquitoes are one of humanity's greatest nemeses, estimated to spread infections to nearly 700 million people per year and cause more than one million deaths. UC Santa Barbara Distinguished Professor Craig Montell has made a breakthrough in one technique for controlling ...

Florida Environmental Group Says GMO Mosquitoes Fall Short on Scientific Rigor

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C. Drukier,  NTD,  2021.
America’s first genetically modified mosquitoes are now buzzing around six locations in the Florida Keys as part of a pilot project. Developed by UK biotech company Oxitec, the bugs are designed to kill off the wild population of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that carry diseases ...

Sterile Insect Technique: Successful Suppression of an Aedes aegypti Field Population in Cuba

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R. Gato, Z. Menendez, E. Prieto, R. Argiles, M. Rodriguez, W. Baldoquin, Y. Hernandez, D. Perez, J. Anaya, I. Fuentes, C. Lorenzo, K. Gonzalez, Y. Campo and J. Bouyer,  Insects,  12:13. 2021.
Here, we describe an open field trial to evaluate the effect of the release of irradiated male Ae. aegypti on a wild population. The pilot trial was carried out in a suburb of Havana and compared the mosquito population density before and after the intervention, in both untreated ...

Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Take Flight to Fight Invasive Species in Florid

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T. Machemer,  Smithosonian Magazine,  2021.
In late April, the biotechnology company Oxitec placed blue-and-white hexagonal boxes on the properties of six private volunteers around the Florida Keys. After pouring in water, the genetically modified mosquito eggs inside activated and hatched. Now the first larvae have ...

Genetically modified mosquitoes may help scientists swat dreaded midge

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W. Jean,  The Times,  2021.
Scotland’s bloodthirsty midges may finally meet their match thanks to revolutionary genetic manipulation techniques that could stop the pesky insects biting chunks out of the tourist industry. News that a British biotechnology company has created genetically modified non-biting ...

The U.S.’s first open-air genetically modified mosquitoes have taken flight

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S. Milius,  Science News,  2021.
The first genetically modified mosquitoes that will be allowed to fly free outdoors in the United States have started reaching the age for mating in the Florida Keys. In a test of the biotech company Oxitec’s GM male mosquitoes for pest control, these Aedes aegypti started ...

Use of genetically modifed mosquitoes to minimize the burden of diseases casused by mosquitoes in South Texas.

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MDN Staff,  MegaDoctor News,  2021.
Of the many species of mosquitoes, female Aedes aegypti is the primary vector that is responsible for transmission of several diseases and has been most extensively studied. The efforts of the World Health Organization and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to prevent ...

Monster Mosquito–Why the Technology of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes is Dangerous and Should Be Stopped Worldwide

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B. Dogra,  counter currents,  2021.
After sparking controversy in other countries including India, the technology of genetically engineered mosquitoes is now leading to widespread protests in Florida USA. Here the biotechnology giant company Oxitec in collaboration with local officialdom is moving ahead with a ...

Florida releases genetically modified mosquitoes in hopes to reduce spread of disease

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A. Fahim,  Reuters,  2021.
Genetically modified mosquitoes have been released for the first time in the United States, taking flight in the Florida Keys in a pilot program intended to reduce the spread of deadly diseases such as dengue, yellow fever and the Zika virus.After an odyssey spanning more than a ...

Why Florida is releasing genetically modified mosquitoes

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M. Murphy,  The Telegraph,  2021.
The thousands of lab-grown mosquitoes hatching in humid gardens across Florida’s tropical Key West next week will be blissfully ignorant of the controversy they have caused. Billboards have already begun appearing near busy motorways in protest of their arrival, with one ...

Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Have Come to the U.S. Will They Work?

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A. de la Garza,  TIME,  2021.
“Our Mosquito Project Takes Flight,” reads a baby-blue billboard off US-1 in the Florida Keys, alongside an image of an insect tracing a path in the shape of a heart. Sponsored by the local mosquito control board and U.K.-based biotech firm Oxitec, the ad promotes a ...

Bill Gates finances the creation of transgenic mosquitoes

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Explica.co,  explica,  2021.
Male mosquitoes (they do not bite. They feed on nectar, not blood) from Oxitec will emerge from release boxes placed in six locations in the Florida Keys to mate with local female mosquitoes (they do bite. They do feed on blood). The female offspring from these encounters cannot ...

Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Released In US For First Time To Combat Disease

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J. Van Zijl,  IFL Science,  2021.
A landmark project, spearheaded by the biotechnology company, Oxitec, has released genetically modified mosquitos in the Florida Keys. This marks the first time that genetically modified mosquitos have been released into the wild in the US. The reason: to combat the Aedes aegypti ...

Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Released In Florida ‘Jurassic Park Experiment’

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D. Richardson,  UNILAD,  2021.
Mosquitos are not only annoying but they can carry disease in their bites. In response to this, a company called Oxitec has genetically modified male mosquitos to pass on a killswitch to females. It is hoped that these genetically modified pests will help stop the transmission of ...

Gravitas: Genetically modified mosquitoes arrive in Florida

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P. Sharma,  WION,  2021.
Genetically engineered mosquitoes have arrived in U.S. 20 million 'modified mosquitoes' will be released in Florida to help prevent Dengue. But, Florida residents fear a 'mosquito apocalypse'

Reengineered mosquitoes released in Florida pilot program

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S. W. Tan,  The Washington Times,  2021.
Genetically engineered mosquitoes have been released in the U.S. for the first time in the Florida Keys, with hopes of quelling wild, disease-carrying mosquito populations in the region. British-based biotech firm Oxitec genetically engineered Aedes aegypti non-biting male ...

First genetically modified mosquitoes released in US

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N. Lanese,  LiveScience,  2021.
The biotech firm Oxitec has released its genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys, with the goal of suppressing wild, disease-carrying mosquito populations in the region. This is the first time genetically modified mosquitoes have been released in the U.S. Oxitec ...

Bill Gates-backed startup releases millions of genetically modified mosquitoes

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ENTREPRENEUR STAFF,  Entrepreneur,  2021.
The British company Oxitec released a cloud of hundreds of millions of genetically modified mosquitoes to study how to control their reproduction and thus stop the spread of dengue, Zika, malaria, etc. As reported by Axios , the company, which is funded by the Bill and Melinda ...

First US Field Test of GM Mosquitoes Begins in Florida

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C. Wilcox,  The Scientist,  2021.
he first US field test of genetically modified mosquitoes for population control has begun in Florida. Approximately 144,000 mosquitoes engineered by the UK-based biotech firm Oxitec are to be expected to be set free over the next three months, the first of up to 750 million ...

The first transgenic mosquitoes were releaseed in the United States.

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D. Davis,  Prudent Press Agency,  2021.
After a decade of fighting for regulatory approval and public acceptance, the biotech company has released GMO mosquitoes outdoors in the United States for the first time. The experiment, which began this week in the Florida Keys, despite objections from some local critics, is ...

The Bill Gates Corporation, Backed by Bill Gates, Releases Thousands of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes

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T. Meeks,  Aviation Analysis,  2021.
British company Oxitec has launched transgenic mosquitoes in the Florida Keys, in the United States, to study how to control their reproduction and thus limit the spread of chronic diseases transmitted by insects such as dengue fever and the Zika virus. The company, funded by ...

Genetically modified mosquitos: Biohacking for disease prevention.

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D. Maloney,  HACKADAY,  2021.
Mosquito control is basically a numbers game, stacked in their favor. Since each female lays 100 to 200 eggs in a clutch, in wet climates, mosquitos are simply too prolific to get ahead of using standard means. Coupled with collateral damage to the environment — draining ...

First genetically modified mosquitoes released in the United States

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E. Waltz,  Nature,  2021.
After a decade of fighting for regulatory approval and public acceptance, a biotechnology firm has released genetically engineered mosquitoes into the open air in the United States for the first time. The experiment, launched this week in the Florida Keys — over the objections ...

Oxitec releases first genetically modified mosquitoes in U.S.

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J. Knutson,  Axios,  2021.
Oxitec, a British startup determined to prevent instances of mosquito-borne disease, released thousands of genetically modified mosquito eggs in the Florida Keys this week as part of a test approved by the Environmental Protection Agency and Florida's agriculture department. Why ...

Genetically modified mosquitoes have landed in the Keys. Here’s what you need to know

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G. Filosa,  Miami Herald,  2021.
More than 20 million genetically modified mosquitoes are coming to the Florida Keys this year, in a landmark project by British biotech company Oxitec and Monroe County’s Mosquito Control District. This mosquito control method hasn’t been used in the U.S. before. It’s a ...

Genetically modified mosquitoes | Connect the Dots

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thv11,  THV11,  2021.
This is a local TV story from Arkansas of the Oxitec trial being conducted in Florida.

‘Home to GMO Mosquitoes?!’ Florida Unleashes a Billion Lab Grown Mosquitoes

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Anonymous,  B and T MAGAZINE,  2021.
Up to a billion genetically engineered mosquitoes are going to be released in the Florida Keys—but locals are having none of it, with billboards erected saying ‘no!’ to the damned blood suckers. The genetically-modified mosquitoes, known as the OX5034, were made in a ...

The Release of 1 Billion Exterminator Mosquitoes Has Begun

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D. Noor,  Gizmodo,  2021.
Tens of thousands of male mosquitoes are descending on the Florida Keys. But these are no ordinary mosquitoes: They’re genetically modified, and they were planted around the state on purpose. It’s part of a plan to curb disease by releasing 1 billion mosquitoes across two ...

First-ever US release of genetically modified mosquitoes begins in Florida Keys

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S. LaMotte,  CNN,  2021.
The first release of genetically modified mosquitoes in the United States began this week in the Florida Keys -- the culmination of a decade-long effort by local mosquito control authorities to see if a genetically modified organism is a viable alternative to spraying ...

The first genetically modified mosquitoes released in the U.S. to buzz in the Florida Keys

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K. Weintraub,  USA Today,  2021.
On Thursday morning, workers from a British company placed basketball-sized cardboard boxes into six yards in the Florida Keys. Then they added water. In a week or so, 12,000 male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes will – one by one – begin buzzing out of each box, the first ...

A Billion Lab-Grown Mosquitos Are Being Released and People Are Freaking Out

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V. Kipnis,  Vice,  2021.
On Thursday afternoon, six Florida Keys residents will walk out into their yards and set out aquamarine cardboard boxes filled with mosquito larvae. Then, water will be poured into the containers. For the next ten days, as the mosquitoes grow into adults, their neighbors will be ...

The mosquito-bite fight begins

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F. Billingsley,  Click2Houston,  2021.
Anyone who thought February’s freeze would kill all the mosquitos is biting up the wrong leg. They are back and, seemingly so, with a vengeance (did surviving just make them stronger, one wonders?). In Florida this week, an interesting and controversial fight against the bite ...

Nearly 144K GMO Mosquitoes to be Released in South Florida: What We Know

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J. Prigeon,  6 South Florida,  2021.
Nearly 144,000 genetically modified mosquitoes will be released in South Florida this week as part of an effort to reduce the population disease-carrying mosquitoes. The landmark release of GMO insects marks the beginning of the U.S.-approved program to control the number of ...

Nation’s first trial of genetically modified mosquitoes starts in Florida Keys

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S. Brock,  TODAY,  2021.
To control the population of potentially disease-spreading mosquitoes, a controversial project is getting underway in the Florida Keys, highlighted by the release of even more mosquitoes that have been genetically modified. NBC’s Sam Brock reports for TODAY from Miami.

Florida Unleashing Thousands of Mosquitoes

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Anonymous,  The Weather Channel,  2021.
Florida will begin releasing thousands of genetically modified mosquitoes in the Keys this week to combat diseases like Zika and dengue. But the government’s green light has some residents seeing red.

GMO mosquitoes to be released in Florida Keys

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NBC News,  WRCBtv,  2021.
Florida will begin releasing genetically modified mosquitoes this week as part of its efforts to control one of the disease-spreading species of the biting insect. The state will release almost 144,000 nonbiting male mosquitoes in the coming weeks engineered by the British firm ...

Nearly 150,000 Gene-Hacked Mosquitoes to Be Unleashed in Florida

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S. Kim,  Newsweek,  2021.
Nearly 150,000 mosquitoes that have been genetically modified by Oxitec, a biotechnology company based in the U.K., will be released across parts of Monroe County's Florida Keys region starting this week. The release is part of an experiment to help combat a disease-transmitting ...

Genetically modified mosquito larvae to be released in Florida Keys

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E. Helmore,  The Guardian,  2021.
The Florida Keys will this week see the release of genetically modified, non-biting male mosquito larvae as part of a controversial program designed to curb the spread of insect-borne diseases such as dengue, Zika and yellow fever. The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District and ...

Florida set to release swarms of GMO mosquitoes as residents decry ‘criminal experiment’ by Bill Gates-backed biotech

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rt com,  rt com,  2021.
A plan to release thousands of genetically modified mosquitoes in an effort to combat disease in the Florida Keys has triggered dire concerns among locals, some saying the “criminal” experiment will turn them into guinea pigs. Spearheaded by the Florida Keys Mosquito Control ...

BUZZ OFF Florida residents blast pest control ‘TERRORISTS’ over plans to unleash a BILLION mutant mosquitoes in the Keys

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J. Bentley-York,  The SUN,  2021.
The areas Mosquito Control District (FKMCD) are set to release the gene hacked ‘fraken-squitoes' in a bid to fight insect-borne viruses like yellow fever. A BILLION mutant mosquitoes are set to be released in the Keys to fight insect-borne viruses like yellow fever Florida pest ...

Florida to release a billion genetically modified mosquitoes and people are worried

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B. Robinson,  indy100,  2021.
It sounds like the pitch for a horror movie, but Florida’s about to release up to a billion genetically modified mosquitoes in the Keys. What could go wrong? Florida residents and environmentalists are already voicing their concerns after state officials and Oxitec, a ...

Thousands of genetically modified mosquitoes being released in Florida

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T. Lapin,  New York Post,  2021.
Thousands of genetically modified mosquitoes have begun to be released in Florida this week as part of an effort to combat a disease-spreading species of the insect. The buzzy project, from British biotech company Oxitec, aims to curb the population of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, ...

Halt This Nightmare’: Alarm as Florida Set to Begin Release of Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes

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J. Johnson,  Common Dreams,  2021.
Environmentalists and Florida residents voiced concern and outrage Monday as state government officials and the biotechnology giant Oxitec announced plans to move ahead this week with a pilot project that involves releasing up to a billion genetically engineered mosquitoes in ...

Florida residents claim ‘pest control trial’ that will release up to a BILLION genetically engineered mosquitos in the Keys to reduce species carrying diseases is ‘TERRORISM’

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S. Liberatore,  Daily Mail,  2021.
The Florida Keys will soon be buzzing with close to a billion 'fraken-squitoes' – gene-hacked mosquitoes aimed at eradicating a disease carrying mosquito. The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District (FKMCD) and Oxitec, a British biotech company, are starting the first-ever U.S. ...

Coalition Against GMO Mosquito Condemns Release of Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes

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GMO Free USA,  3BL CSRwire,  2021.
Despite a decade of community opposition, the experimental release of genetically engineered mosquitoes begins today in the Florida Keys. British biotech corporation, Oxitec, in collaboration with the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District, plans to release up to a billion ...

Nation’s First Trial Of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Starts In Florida Keys

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N. Klingener,  WLRN,  2021.
Boxes containing the eggs of genetically modified Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, water and a little food are being placed in six locations in the Lower and Middle Keys this week — in a trial that will be the first of its kind in the United States. The genetic modification is ...

First GMO mosquitoes to be released in the Florida Keys

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T. White,  UNDARK,  2021.
Oxitec says its technology will combat dengue fever, a potentially life-threatening disease, and other mosquito-borne viruses — such as Zika — mainly transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. While there have been more than 7,300 dengue cases reported in the United States ...

Village hears from experts as genetic-mosquito release experiment nears.

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J. McCarthy,  KEYSWEEKLY,  2021.
On March 18, Islamorada Village Council heard from several independent scientists who discussed information and issues behind the genetically modified mosquitoes for population and disease suppression. The scientists collectively said they’re neither for nor against the ...

Sterile Insect Technique in an Integrated Vector Management Program against Tiger Mosquito Aedes albopictus in the Valencia Region (Spain): Operating Procedures and Quality Control Parameters

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C. Tur, D. Almenar, S. Benlloch-Navarro, R. Argilés-Herrero, M. Zacarés, V. Dalmau and I. Pla,  Insects,  12. 2021.
The Agriculture Department of the Valencian Region is promoting an ongoing pilot project to evaluate the efficacy of an integrated vector management program (IVM) based on the use of the SIT as the main method of control. The laboratory studies for evaluating the entomological ...

Current Effector and Gene-Drive Developments to Engineer Arbovirus-Resistant Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) for a Sustainable Population Replacement Strategy in the Field

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W. R. Reid, K. E. Olson and A. W. E. Franz,  J Med Entomol,  2021.
Conventional mosquito control efforts based on insecticide treatments and/or the use of bednets and window curtains are currently insufficient to reduce arbovirus prevalence in affected regions. Novel, genetic strategies that are being developed involve the genetic manipulation ...

Mosquito anxiety prompts query from congressman

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T. Java,  Keynews.com,  2021.
Anxiety among some residents over the pending release of hundreds of millions of genetically modified mosquitoes next month in undisclosed locations throughout the Florida Keys has prompted Congressman Carlos Gimenez to seek answers from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. ...

Eliminating Mosquitoes with Precision Guided Sterile Males

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M. Li, T. Yang, M. Bui, S. Gamez, T. Wise, N. P. Kandul, J. Liu, L. Alcantara, H. Lee, J. R. Edula, R. Raban, Y. Zhan, Y. Wang, N. DeBeaubien, J. Chen, H. M. Sanchez C, J. B. Bennett, I. Antoshechkin, C. Montell, J. M. Marshall and O. S. Akbari,  bioRxiv,  2021.03.05.434167. 2021.
Here we develop a molecular genetic control system termed precision guided sterile insect technique (pgSIT) in Aedes aegypti. PgSIT uses a simple CRISPR-based approach to generate sterile males that are deployable at any life stage. Supported by mathematical models, we ...

Tensions rise as GM mosquito release nears in Florida Keys

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T. O'Hara,  Keynews.com,  2021.
Tensions seem to be rising as a planned release of genetically modified mosquitoes nears. The British-based biotech company Oxitec plans to release genetically modified Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in the Florida Keys sometime after April, but has yet to disclose exact locations in ...

Florida Keys moves forward with genetically modified mosquitoes

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H. Vela,  local10.com,  2021.
The feared GMO mosquitoes are not going away. Opponents of the technology fear the date of the release in the Florida Keys is getting closer, and they are not ready for the possible repercussions of the experiment. The fight over whether or not to release genetically modified ...

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices Survey in Greece before the Implementation of Sterile Insect Technique against Aedes albopictus

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A. Stefopoulou, S. L. LaDeau, N. Syrigou, G. Balatsos, V. Karras, I. Lytra, E. Boukouvala, D. P. Papachristos, P. G. Milonas, A. Kapranas, P. Vahamidis and A. Michaelakis,  Insects,  12. 2021.
A KAP tool was used to shed light on the knowledge, practices, and attitudes of local community members in order to better prepare and motivate participation in household mosquito control and to assess current understanding of SIT. Each household also received specific ...

When and where will millions of mosquitoes be released? Here are details for Florida Keys

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D. Goodhue,  Miami Herald,  2021.
The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District announced this week a wide and vague planned range of deployment for the lab-designed mosquitoes — neighborhoods from mile marker 10 to 93. The trial is being conducted by British biotech company Oxitec. It’s a method approved by the ...

Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) against Aedes Species Mosquitoes: A Roadmap and Good Practice Framework for Designing, Implementing and Evaluating Pilot Field Trials

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C. F. Oliva, M. Q. Benedict, C. M. Collins, T. Baldet, R. Bellini, H. Bossin, J. Bouyer, V. Corbel, L. Facchinelli, F. Fouque, M. Geier, A. Michaelakis, D. Roiz, F. Simard, C. Tur and L.-C. Gouagna,  Insects,  12. 2021.
We offer here a pragmatic and accessible ‘roadmap’ for the pre-pilot and pilot phases to guide any interested party. This will support stakeholders, non-specialist scientists, implementers, and decision-makers. Applying these concepts will ensure, given adequate resources, a ...

Mosquito trial will begin in April, but Keys locations won’t be disclosed

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S. Matthis,  KEYSWEEKLY,  2021.
FKMCD spokesman Chad Huff wrote in an email, “The physical location of each box is still being finalized. Since most will be situated on private property at owner request, FKMCD-Oxitec will NOT be providing specific addresses due to privacy concerns and protection of project ...

Locals protest over genetically modified mosquito plan in Florida Keys

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D. Goodhue,  Miami Herald,  2021.
Sometime this year, somewhere in the Florida Keys, a British biotech company is expected to release millions of genetically modified male mosquitoes in an effort to breed out of existence an invasive species of bug responsible for the transmittal of deadly diseases like dengue ...

Oxitec gears up for test releases

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T. O'Hara,  Keynews.com,  2021.
The United Kingdom-based biotech company Oxitec will soon announce the test locations and timetable for releasing its genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys.

Reply to: Issues with combining incompatible and sterile insect techniques

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Y. Li, L. A. Baton, D. Zhang, J. Bouyer, A. G. Parker, A. A. Hoffmann, L. C. Ng, C. H. Tan and Z. Xi,  Nature,  590:E3-E5. 2021.
When the aim is elimination of the target population, Uni-CI and Bi-CI do not have appreciably different risks of population replacement. The small-scale field trial8 cited by Moretti and Calvitti in their Comment1 does not provide evidence that Bi-CI protects against population ...

Issues with combining incompatible and sterile insect techniques

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R. Moretti and M. Calvitti,  Nature,  590:E1-E2. 2021.
In a recent paper, Zheng at al.1 performed field experiments that tested a strategy of mosquito suppression based on the release of functionally sterile males produced by the combination of reproductive unidirectional cytoplasmic incompatibility (which is induced by the bacterium ...

Mosquitoes genetically modified to be resistant to Zika

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Staff,  Lab+Life Scientist,  2021.
Researchers have wrestled with different strategies for controlling the spread of Zika virus, which is transmitted to humans from female mosquito bites. One approach, which has been approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency, will see more than 750 million genetically ...

Project Wolbachia: Residents are killing the ‘helpful’ mosquitoes, which can be a nuisance

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T. J. Cheng,  today,  2021.
In 2019, Dr Amy Khor, then Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources, said that there was a 90 per cent suppression rate at study sites in Tampines and Yishun from February to November that year. However, certain public housing estates under the project ...

Sexual Competitiveness and Induced Egg Sterility by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus Gamma-Irradiated Males: A Laboratory and Field Study in Mexico

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J. G. Bond, S. Aguirre-Ibáñez, A. R. Osorio, C. F. Marina, Y. Gómez-Simuta, R. Tamayo-Escobar, A. Dor, P. Liedo, D. O. Carvalho and T. Williams,  Insects,  12. 2021.
The sterile insect technique may prove useful for the suppression of mosquito vectors of medical importance in regions where arboviruses pose a serious public health threat. In the present study, we examined the effects of sterilizing irradiation doses across different ratios of ...

Genetically-modified mosquitoes key to stopping Zika virus spread

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University of Missouri,  Medical Xpress,  2021.
Alexander Franz, an associate professor in the MU College of Veterinary Medicine, collaborated with researchers at Colorado State University by using CRISPR gene-editing technology to produce mosquitoes that are unable to replicate Zika virus and therefore cannot infect a human ...

‘Clever Approach’: Scientists Create GM-Free Organisms Using Genetic Engineering

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A. Paleja,  The WIRE,  2021.
Farther to the north, researchers at the University of Minnesota have developed a novel way to resolve this problem. They used genetic engineering to create organisms for release that are not genetically modified. Maciej Maselko was a postdoctoral associate at the university ...

Population Dynamics of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus in Two Rural Villages in Southern Mexico: Baseline Data for an Evaluation of the Sterile Insect Technique

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C. F. Marina, J. G. Bond, K. Hernández-Arriaga, J. Valle, A. Ulloa, I. Fernández-Salas, D. O. Carvalho, K. Bourtzis, A. Dor, T. Williams and P. Liedo,  Insects,  12. 2021.
Indoor and outdoor ovitraps were placed in 15 randomly selected houses in two rural villages in Chiapas, southern Mexico. In addition, ovitraps were placed in five transects surrounding each village, with three traps per transect, one at the edge, one at 50 m, and another at 100 ...

Edit, undo: Temporary gene editing could help solve the mosquito problem

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L. Dormehl,  digitaltrends,  2020.
But if SyFy original movies have taught us anything, it’s that genetically tweaking organisms and then releasing them can… well, not go quite according to plan.With that in mind, a new Texas A&M AgriLife Research project seeks to test out genetic modifications of mosquitos ...

Genetic sexing strains for the population suppression of the mosquito vector Aedes aegypti

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P. Koskinioti, A. A. Augustinos, D. O. Carvalho, M. Misbah-ul-Haq, G. Pillwax, L. D. d. l. Fuente, G. Salvador-Herranz, R. A. Herrero and K. Bourtzis,  Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences,  376:20190808. 2020.
Here, we report on the construction of two genetic sexing strains using red- and white-eye colour mutations as selectable markers. Quality control analysis showed that the Red-eye genetic sexing strains (GSS) is better and more genetically stable than the White-eye GSS. The ...

Wolbachia strain wAlbB maintains high density and dengue inhibition following introduction into a field population of Aedes aegypti

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N. A. Ahmad, M.-V. Mancini, T. H. Ant, J. Martinez, G. M. R. Kamarul, W. A. Nazni, A. A. Hoffmann and S. P. Sinkins,  Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences,  376:20190809. 2020.
Here, wAlbB-carrying Ae. aegypti collected from the field 20 months after the cessation of releases showed no reduction in Wolbachia density or tissue distribution changes compared to a wAlbB laboratory colony. The wAlbB strain continued to induce complete unidirectional ...

CRISPR/Cas9 knockout of female-biased genes AeAct-4 or myo-fem in Ae. aegypti results in a flightless phenotype in female, but not male mosquitoes

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S. O’Leary and Z. N. Adelman,  PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases,  14:e0008971. 2020.
Author summary Ae. aegypti is the most important vector of arboviruses throughout the world, and new strategies are urgently needed to add to our existing arsenal of control methods to prevent or halt disease transmission. Importantly, only female Ae. aegypti mosquitoes transmit ...

Converting female mosquitoes to non-biting males with implications for mosquito control

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M. V. Candy,  Vet Candy,  2020.
Virginia Tech researchers have proven that a single gene can convert female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes into fertile male mosquitoes and identified a gene needed for male mosquito flight. Male mosquitoes do not bite and are unable to transmit pathogens to humans. Female mosquitoes, ...

FKMCD – Oxitec | Mosquito Project Webinar Series

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Oxitec Ltd,  FKMCD and Oxitec,  2020.
This FKMCD - Oxitec Public Educational Webinar, our ninth, shows how Oxitec's just-add-water technology helps control the Aedes aegypti mosquito population. The second half of the webinar includes questions and answers with attendees.

Fear of Oxitec mosquito release grows

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T. Java,  Florida Keys Free Press,  2020.
A local effort has emerged to exclude Key Largo from a test release of genetically modified Aedes aegypti mosquitoes planned for the spring. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District have approved a release of United Kingdom-based ...

A CRISPR endonuclease gene drive reveals two distinct mechanisms of inheritance bias

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S. A. N. Verkuijl, E. González, J. X. D. Ang, M. Li, N. P. Kandul, M. Anderson, O. S. Akbari, M. Bonsall and L. Alphey,  bioRxiv,  2020.12.15.421271. 2020.
In this study, we report the functioning of sds3, bgcn, and nup50 expressed Cas9 in an Aedes aegypti homing split drive system targeting the white gene. We report their inheritance biasing capability, propensity for maternal deposition, and zygotic/somatic expression. ...

The Antiviral Small-Interfering RNA Pathway Induces Zika Virus Resistance in Transgenic Aedes aegypti

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A. E. Williams, I. Sanchez-Vargas, W. R. Reid, J. Y. Lin, A. W. E. Franz and K. E. Olson,  Viruses,  12:18. 2020.
We used CRISPR/Cas9 to re-target a previously characterized locus (Chr2:321382225) and engineered mosquitoes expressing an inverted repeat (IR) dsRNA against the NS3/4A region of the ZIKV genome. Small RNA analysis revealed that the IR effector triggered the mosquito's siRNA ...

Targeting female flight for genetic control of mosquitoes

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D. Navarro-Payá, I. Flis, M. A. E. Anderson, P. Hawes, M. Li, O. S. Akbari, S. Basu and L. Alphey,  PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases,  14:e0008876. 2020.
The yellow fever mosquito and the Southern house mosquito are important vectors of infectious diseases. Given their widespread presence across tropical and subtropical regions of the world and the increased risk of spread due to global warming there is a growing need for ...

Modelling the Wolbachia incompatible insect technique: strategies for effective mosquito population elimination

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D. E. Pagendam, B. J. Trewin, N. Snoad, S. A. Ritchie, A. A. Hoffmann, K. M. Staunton, C. Paton and N. Beebe,  BMC Biology,  18:13. 2020.
We introduce a simple Markov population process model for studying mosquito populations subjected to a Wolbachia-IIT programme which exhibit an unstable equilibrium threshold. The model is used to study, in silico, scenarios that are likely to yield a successful elimination ...

Strategic Approach, Advances, and Challenges in the Development and Application of the SIT for Area-Wide Control of Aedes albopictus Mosquitoes in Reunion Island

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L. C. Gouagna, D. Damiens, C. F. Oliva, S. Boyer, G. Le Goff, C. Brengues, J.-S. Dehecq, J. Raude, F. Simard and D. Fontenille,  Insects,  11:770. 2020.

Reply to: “Enhancement of Aedes aegypti susceptibility to dengue by Wolbachia is not supported”

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C. Souto-Maior, J. G. King, L. M. Sartori, R. Maciel-de-Freitas and M. G. M. Gomes,  Nature Communications,  11:6113. 2020.
Ant et al.4 claim that concerns with the data and broader analysis make our conclusions misleading. We herein respond to their comments by demonstrating the robustness of our results to different treatments of the data, and expand our arguments for replacing currently adopted ...

Enhancement of Aedes aegypti susceptibility to dengue by Wolbachia is not supported

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T. H. Ant, M.-V. Mancini, J. Martinez and S. P. Sinkins,  Nature Communications,  11:6111. 2020.
King et al.3 used DENV infection and transmission modelling to reinterpret experimental data from two previous studies4,5. The authors claimed that wMel Wolbachia increase the mean susceptibility of Ae. aegypti to DENV, contradicting various other studies6,7,8,9,10,11,12. Here, ...

Split drive killer-rescue provides a novel threshold-dependent gene drive

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M. P. Edgington, T. Harvey-Samuel and L. Alphey,  Scientific Reports,  10. 2020.
Population genetics mathematical models are developed here to demonstrate the threshold-dependent nature of the proposed system and its robustness to imperfect homing, incomplete penetrance of toxins and transgene fitness costs, each of which are of practical significance given ...

Assessment of a Novel Adult Mass-Rearing Cage for Aedes albopictus (Skuse) and Anopheles arabiensis (Patton).

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H. Maïga, W. Mamai, N. S. Bimbilé Somda, T. Wallner, B. S. Poda, G. Salvador-Herranz, R. Argiles-Herrero, H. Yamada and J. Bouyer,  Insects,  11:801. 2020.
Successful implementation of the sterile insect technique (SIT) against Aedes albopictus and Anopheles arabiensis relies on a continuous supply of sterile males. To meet this requirement, optimization of the mass-rearing techniques is needed. This study, therefore, aims to assess ...

Fighting Mosquito With GMO Mosquito: The Battle Brewing in the Florida Keys

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S. MacLaughlin,  NBC 6 South Florida,  2020.
Scientists are a few months into an experiment to stop the invasive Aedes aegypti mosquito. Their weapon of choice? A genetically modified mosquito. But some environment advocates question the strategy. This year, the Florida Keys had an outbreak of Dengue fever, which was ...

Florida will release 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes

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S. McGlaun,  Slash Gear,  2020.
Local officials in Florida have announced that they have approved 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes to be released into the environment to reduce local populations of the bloodsucking creatures. The goal of releasing genetically modified mosquitoes is to help reduce the ...

You should be excited that scientists are releasing 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes this year

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L. Westreich,  Massive Science,  2020.
GM mosquitoes are successful in reducing mosquito populations, and reducing disease spread

The Con Job at Mosquito Control Board

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E. Russo and B. Wray,  keysnews.com,  2020.
Shouldn’t there be a consensus among scholars, scientists, experts and the public that this new technology is safe?

GMOs make war on mosquitoes

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Staff,  Kenosha News,  2020.
Given that recent record, we were a bit surprised to read that there was a ruckus over genetically modified mosquitoes going on in the Florida Keys.

Why Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Won’t Come to Texas Anytime Soon

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C. Adams,  RA News,  2020.
Talks about releasing genetically modified mosquitoes in Houston began in 2018 between Harris County and Oxitec, a United Kingdom-based company that produces sustainable technologies or transgenic methodologies to stem the impact of disease-spreading insects. Talk also began ...

Non-GMO approach reduces cases of mosquito-borne dengue by 77%

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GM Watch,  GM Watch,  2020.
A randomized field trial found that mosquitoes infected with a natural bacterium called Wolbachia reduced cases of dengue by an "extraordinary" 77%.

An accident waiting to happen: Tech company to release 750 MILLION GMO mosquitoes in Florida to fight dengue fever

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Z. Sky,  NEWSTARGET,  2020.
Oxitec plans to release 750 million OX5034s into the Florida Keys, something that sounds like the beginning of a doomed science-fiction movie. But the most shocking thing here is the fact that Oxitec received the EPA’s approval in May.

Genetically-modified mosquito plan offers hope for Keys, world

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P. Goodman,  keynews.com,  2020.
The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District Board of Commissioners voted 4-to-1 to approve a trial using Oxitec’s second-generation genetically modified mosquitoes. I

Bacteria-Laced Mosquitoes Limit Spread of Dengue

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A. Heidt,  The Scientist,  2020.
Researchers have infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes—the species responsible for passing on many diseases—with bacteria called Wolbachia with the intent of reducing the insects’ ability to pass on dengue to people.

The good mosquito versus the bad

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D. Datta,  Business Standard,  2020.
Starting 2021, around 750 million genetically modified (GM) Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes will be released in batches into the Florida Keys.

Florida Will Release 750 Genetically Modified Mosquitoes to Stop Disease Spread

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A. Fahmy,  verywell health,  2020.
The hope is to prevent the spread of Dengue fever, a painful virus acquired only by mosquito bite which made a reappearance in the Florida Keys in 2009.

Scientists infect mosquitoes with bacteria to stop the transmission of dengue fever in Indonesia, dropping infection rates by 77 percent

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D. Avery,  Daily Mail,  2020.
The team found that dengue infections were 77 percent lower in treated neighborhoods, compared to areas not exposed to the infected insects.

The mosquito strategy that could eliminate dengue

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E. Callaway,  Nature,  2020.
The study, conducted in an Indonesia city, showed that releasing mosquitoes modified to carry a bacterium called Wolbachia, which stops the insects from transmitting some viruses, led to a steep drop in cases of dengue fever.

Researchers Find New Approach To Control Dengue, Zika By Genetically Modifying Mosquitoes

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N. Sharma,  R. Republicworld.com,  2020.
A new study carried out in Indonesia has shown that dengue infection rates decreased in regions where the genetically modified mosquitoes were introduced.

Australian research takes aim at dengue, another killer virus

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E. Connors,  Finanacial Review,  2020.
Australian researchers have teamed up with Indonesian philanthropists to strike a blow against dengue fever, the deadly disease that was a growing scourge in south-east Asia and South America long before COVID-19.

Australian scientists slash dengue fever in Indonesia by infecting mosquitoes with bacteria

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A. Barker,  ABC News,  2020.
Australian scientists may have found the secret to eradicating dengue fever, with a lengthy trial in Indonesia drastically reducing the incidence of the mosquito-borne virus.

Deep dive: Florida’s GM mosquito experiment aims to rewrite rules of vector-borne diseases

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S. Kannan,  India Today,  2020.
A pathbreaking bioengineering experiment on mosquito populations that could have massive implications for tropical malaria-affected countries like India has got underway in Florida, US.

Fighting mosquito-borne diseases… with mosquitoes

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N. Gubert and A. Baubeau,  Phys Org,  2020.
For decades, researchers have scratched their heads over how to combat deadly mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue fever.

Bug board OKs release of genetically modified mosquitoes

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T. O'Hara,  keynews.com,  2020.
After nearly 10 years of debate, the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District board has approved an agreement with biotech company Oxitec to conduct a test release of genetically modified mosquitoes in Monroe County as part of a mosquito limiting or eradication plan.

Genetically modified mosquitoes to be released in the Florida Keys to combat dengue, zika, and yellow fever.

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Yucatan Times,  Yucatan Times,  2020.
The Florida Keys will be the scene of the first test in the United States with genetically modified Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, an alternative to insecticides and larvicides to end the transmission of diseases such as dengue, zika and yellow fever that has always been surrounded ...

Transgenic moths released to end one of the worst pests on the planet

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B. Mandalia,  Pledge Times,  2020.
Today the results of the first open field experiment with another of the creations of this biotechnology company are published. It is a variant of the moth Plutella xylostella which is one of the worst agricultural pests in the world.

750 million genetically modified mosquitoes soon released in the wild!

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explica,  explica,  2020.
Rather frightening mosquitoes will be released on an archipelago in Florida. The goal? Reduce the population of their more dangerous congeners who can transmit certain diseases.

US to Use Genetically Modified Mosquitoes to Fight Dengue Fever

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H. Badr,  Asharq Al-Awsat,  2020.
After a decade of discussions, officials in Florida have voted to allow the first test in the United States of free-flying, genetically modified mosquitoes that kill any female offspring, as a way to fight the pests and the diseases they spread.

Florida Keys to Use Genetically Modified Mosquitoes to Fight Disease

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B. Lynn,  Voice of America,  2020.
Officials in the Florida Keys plan to release genetically modified mosquitoes next year in an effort to fight insect-borne diseases.

Florida Approves Controversial Plan to Release 750 Million Genetically Modified Mosquitoes

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D. Rakshit,  Swaddle,  2020.
Authorities in Florida have approved a pilot project that will release 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes locally, in a bid to reduce the populations of mosquitoes that cause that cause dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever

Mutant bugs released to fight disease

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The Day,  The Day,  2020.
Authorities have approved the scheme in Florida but environmental groups are furious, calling it a “Jurassic Park experiment” that will unleash a “mutant bug” into the ecosystem.

More than 750 million GMO mosquitoes to be released over Florida Keys – what could go wrong?

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E. Huff,  Natural News,  2020.
The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District (FKMCD) has given Oxitec, a corporation we have reported on in the past, permission to unleash some 750 million GMO mosquitos in Monroe County, Florida, over the next two years.

Florida to release genetically modified mosquitoes to prevent diseases like Zika

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The West News,  The West News,  2020.
Local authorities on Tuesday gave final approval to release 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys over a two-year period, starting in 2021.

Genetically modified mosquitoes have been OK’d for a first U.S. test flight

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S. Milius,  ScienceNews,  2020.
After a decade of fits and starts, officials in the Florida Keys have voted to allow the first test in the United States of free-flying, genetically modified mosquitoes as a way to fight the pests and the diseases they spread.

Florida Will Release Ge­net­i­cally Modified Mos­quitoes to Fight Disease in the Keys

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S. Harrell,  Spectrum News,  2020.
Following lengthy federal and state procedures, the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District this week approved a plan to release more than 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes in the Keys region to combat an invasive, disease-carrying species of the insect.

Florida is releasing 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes into the world. Here’s why

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H. Schriber,  Deseret News,  2020.
Florida officials plan to release 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes into the Florida Keys over the next two years as a way to prevent diseases like the Zika virus. The project will begin in 2021. The Environment Protection Agency approved the idea in May. The project ...

Genetically Modified Mosquitoes To Be Released In Florida Keys

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A. Snow,  The Daily Wire,  2020.
CNN reported that the genetically modified bugs, called OX5034, have been “altered to produce female offspring that die in the larval stage, well before hatching and growing large enough to bite and spread disease.” Since it’s the female of the species that bite, they are ...

Release 750 Million Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Into the Wild, They Said

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C. Delbert,  Popular Mechanics,  2020.
Corporate scientists have received final approval from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to release hundreds of millions of genetically altered mosquitoes into the Florida Keys. The goal? To begin reining in the mosquito population, which is only expected to increase as ...

Florida releasing genetically modified mosquitoes to prevent diseases like Zika

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N. Lanese,  LiveScience,  2020.
Hundreds of millions of genetically modified mosquitoes will soon be released in the Florida Keys island chain to wipe out local populations of disease-carrying mosquitoes, according to news reports.

750 Million GM Mosquitoes Will Be Released in the Florida Keys

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L. Winter,  The Scientist,  2020.
With the aim of reducing rates of the mosquito-borne illnesses yellow fever and dengue, a pilot program will release 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes into the Florida Keys in 2021, thanks to approval by the barrier islands’ Mosquito Control District Board of ...

Hundreds Of Millions Of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Approved For Release In US

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J. Vibes,  Anonymous News,  2020.
A Biotech company called Oxitec has received permission from the government to release hundreds of millions of genetically modified male mosquitoes in the Florida Keys.

Why Hundreds of Millions of Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes Will Soon Be Released in Florida

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K. Gander,  Newsweek,  2020.
Hundreds of millions of genetically engineered mosquitoes will soon be released in Florida, in a first for the U.S. On Tuesday, the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District (FKMCD) approved plans to release the insects, who do not bite, as part of a pilot project launching next ...

Florida to release genetically modified mosquitoes, detractors blast ‘Jurassic Park’ experiment

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D. Aaro,  Fox News,  2020.
Local authorities on Tuesday gave final approval to release 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys over a two-year period, starting in 2021, with the hope of preventing diseases such as the Zika virus but has faced blowback and comparisons to a Steven ...

750 million genetically modified mosquitoes to be released across Florida Keys

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A. Zahid,  Sky News,  2020.
Authorities have approved plans for genetically modified mosquitoes to be released across the Florida Keys from next year. British-based firm Oxitec has designed the project to test whether the altered mosquitoes are a viable alternative to pesticides to control and prevent the ...

750 million GM mosquitos set for release in Florida Keys.

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Editorial Staff,  E&T,  2020.
Local authorities have approved proposals to release hundreds of millions of genetically modified (GM) modified mosquitos in Florida, in an effort to control populations of diseases spread by the organism.

Florida Plans to Fix Its Mosquito Problem With 750 Million More Mosquitoes

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D. Noor,  Gizmodo,  2020.
Hundreds of millions of mosquitos will soon be released in Florida. On purpose. The mosquitoes are being released as a form of pest control, but they could wreak havoc on local ecosystems.

Florida mosquitoes: 750 million genetically modified insects to be released

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BBC,  BBC,  2020.
Local officials in Florida have approved the release of 750 million mosquitoes that have been genetically modified to reduce local populations. The aim is to reduce the number of mosquitoes that carry diseases like dengue or the Zika virus.

Florida OKs release of genetically modified mosquitoes in Keys to slow insect disease spread

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S. Mann,  Just the News,  2020.
Florida officials are authorizing a biotech company to release hundreds of millions of genetically-modified male mosquitoes into the Florida Keys to reduce future mosquito populations that spread diseases including yellow fever and malaria.

Florida Keys to release modified mosqutioes to fight illness

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C. Anderson,  Associated Press,  2020.
Sometime next year, genetically modified mosquitoes will be released in the Florida Keys in an effort to combat persistent insect-borne diseases such as Dengue fever and the Zika virus. The plan approved this week by the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District calls for a pilot ...

Florida to Release Millions of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Against Local Residents’ Wishes

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N. Rice,  People,  2020.
A plan to release over 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys has received final approval. According to CNN, on Tuesday, local authorities approved a plan to release the genetically modified mosquitoes in the Sunshine State's string of islands, with the ...

Plan to Release 750M GMO Mosquitoes Gets Go Ahead

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R. Quinn,  newser,  2020.
The plan to release the genetically modified Aedes aegypti mosquitoes received final approval from local authorities Tuesday, causing an outcry from groups opposed to what they call a "Jurassic Park experiment," CNN reports.

‘A Jurassic Park Experiment’: Watchdog Groups Denounce Decision to Release Genetically Modified Mosquitoes in Florida

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L. Newcomb,  Common Dreams,  2020.
Food safety and environmental groups Wednesday condemned a decision by officials in Florida to approve the release of 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes, a pilot project aimed at reducing the spread of mosquito-borne diseases.

Florida Keys to release 750M genetically modified mosquitoes

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D. Haynes,  UPI,  2020.
Local authorities in the Florida Keys gave their approval Wednesday to a plan to release genetically modified mosquitoes to prevent the spread of dengue fever and other diseases. The Monroe County Mosquito Control District signed off on the project, which would release about 750 ...

FKMCD Board Approves Oxitec Pilot

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C. Huff,  FKMCD in the News,  2020.
The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District’s (FKMCD) five member board has APPROVED a proposal by Oxitec to utilize non-biting male, genetically modified mosquitoes as part of a trial to determine their effectiveness in controlling the wild population of Aedes aegypti, the ...

To combat disease-spreading mosquitoes in the Keys, leaders vote to unleash lab bugs

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D. Goodhue,  Miami Herald,  2020.
Florida Keys officials have voted to allow the experimental release of millions of genetically modified mosquitoes into a yet-to-be-decided area of the island chain.

Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Cleared for Florida Keys Release

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J. Kay,  Bloomber Law,  2020.
Genetically engineered mosquitoes will be released in the Florida Keys in 2021 to try to reduce the population of a biting insect pest that spreads Zika, dengue fever, and yellow fever, local officials said Tuesday.

Cytoplasmic incompatibility: an autocidal mechanism for mosquito population control

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V. Dev,  BugBitten BMC,  2020.
Cytoplasmic incompatibility resulting in non-reciprocal fertility is a naturally occurring phenomenon, but remains unexplored to greater extent for the control of insect vector populations. This mechanism deserves priority for mosquito control and reducing disease transmission, ...

Keys Mosquito Control Board Approves First U.S. Trial Of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes

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N. Klingener,  WLRN,  2020.
The Florida Keys Mosquito Control Board approved a trial Tuesday of genetically modified mosquitoes on the island chain. This would be the first U.S. trial of the genetically modified Aedes aegypti mosquito, which can transmit diseases like Zika and dengue.

Incorporating Characteristics of Gene Drive Engineered Ae. aegypti as Methods to Reduce Dengue and Zika Virus into the Bayesian Network – Relative Risk Model, Using Ponce, Puerto Rico as a Case Study

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S. R. Eikenbary,  WWU Graduate School Collection,  2020.
The Bayesian network relative risk model can perform the risk assessment of gene drive engineered Ae. aegypti for vector control and as part of an adaptive management strategy to reduce dengue and Zika transmission. This study illustrates how the BN-RRM can integrate gene drive ...

Modeling the suppression dynamics of Aedes mosquitoes with mating inhomogeneity

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M. Huang and L. Hu,  Journal of Biological Dynamics,  14:656-678. 2020.
In this work, we introduce a delay differential equation model with mating inhomogeneity to discuss mosquito population suppression based on Wolbachia. Our analyses show that the wild mosquitoes could be eliminated if either the adult mortality rate exceeds the threshold δ∗A ...

Genetically modified mosquitoes could be released in Florida

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wqad.com,  WQAD8,  2020.
Cases of dengue fever are on the rise in the Florida Keys. One biotech company wants to release genetically modified mosquitoes for a pilot program.

Nix alone is sufficient to convert female Aedes aegypti into fertile males and myo-sex is needed for male flight

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A. Aryan, M. A. E. Anderson, J. K. Biedler, Y. M. Qi, J. M. Overcash, A. N. Naumenko, M. V. Sharakhova, C. H. Mao, Z. N. Adelman and Z. J. Tu,  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America,  117:17702-17709. 2020.
Here, we report the generation of multiple transgenic lines that express Nix under the control of its own promoter. Genetic and molecular analyses of these lines provided insights unattainable from previous transient experiments. We show that the Nix transgene alone, in the ...

Why are scientists creating genetically modified mosquitoes?

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The Week Staff,  The Week,  2020.
The Week Staff. The Week (2020). Scientists plan to release altered mosquitoes designed to sabotage the species' ability to reproduce. Is this safe? Here's everything you need to know:

Tackling Dengue fever by turning female mosquitoes into males

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T. Sandle,  DIGTAL JOURNAL,  2020.
T. Sandle (2020). DIGTAL JOURNAL Genetic engineering appears to be the key for delivering mosquito control, according to new research. Scientists have successfully converted female mosquitoes into non-biting males.

Florida Keys delays vote on release of 750 million genetically engineered mosquitoes after public outcry

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D. Dukule,  Friends of the Earth,  2020.
The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District (FKMCD) today delayed its vote on the proposed release of genetically engineered (GE) mosquitoes due to concerns over COVID-19. The decision to delay the vote follows public outcry and scientific dispute over the risks posed to public ...

EPA approves field trials of genetically modified mosquito

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A. Wernick,  WBFO npr,  2020.
The Environmental Protection Agency has given biotech company Oxitec the go-ahead to test the effectiveness of genetically modified mosquitoes in parts of Florida and Texas. Oxitec has been developing genetically modified mosquitoes in hopes of reducing local populations of ...

Researchers convert female mosquitoes to nonbiting males with implications for mosquito control

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Virginia Tech,  ScienceDaily,  2020.
Researchers convert female mosquitoes to nonbiting males with implications for mosquito control Virginia Tech researchers have proven that a single gene can convert female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes into fertile male mosquitoes and identified a gene needed for male mosquito ...

On Nonlinear Pest/Vector Control via the Sterile Insect Technique: Impact of Residual Fertility

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M. S. Aronna and Y. Dumont,  Bulletin of Mathematical Biology,  82:29. 2020.
We consider a minimalist model for the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), assuming that residual fertility can occur in the sterile male population.

Artificial Selection Finds New Hypotheses for the Mechanism of Wolbachia-Mediated Dengue Blocking in Mosquitoes

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S. A. Ford, I. Albert, S. L. Allen, S. F. Chenoweth, M. Jones, C. Koh, A. Sebastian, L. T. Sigle and E. A. McGraw,  Frontiers in Microbiology,  11:1456. 2020.
We recently used experimental evolution to reveal that Wolbachia-mediated dengue blocking could be selected upon in the A. aegypti host and showed evidence that strong levels of blocking could be maintained by natural selection. In this study, we investigate the genetic variation ...

GMO Mosquitoes to be launched in Florida

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Administration,  Editorials 360,  2020.
In June 2020, the Florida Division of Agriculture and Shopper Providers gave the go-ahead to a plan to launch thousands and thousands of genetically engineered mosquitoes within the Florida Keys this summer time to battle mosquito-borne diseases.1 The plan follows the EPA’s ...

Florida gives approval to the plan of releasing genetically modified mosquitoes.

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V. Dalmia,  The Andoverleader,  2020.
Mosquitoes have always been a huge problem for Florida residents. They are even more problematic in the Florida Key Region. It has even a dedicated mosquito department that is assigned with the task of controlling over 40 species of mosquitoes. But as technology progresses, we ...

Field performance of sterile male mosquitoes released from an uncrewed aerial vehicle

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J. Bouyer, N. J. Culbert, A. H. Dicko, M. G. Pacheco, J. Virginio, M. C. Pedrosa, L. Garziera, A. T. M. Pinto, A. Klaptocz, J. Germann, T. Wallner, G. Salvador-Herranz, R. A. Herrero, H. Yamada, F. Balestrino and M. J. B. Vreysen,  Science Robotics,  5:10. 2020.
Genetic control methods of mosquito vectors of malaria, dengue, yellow fever, and Zika are becoming increasingly popular due to the limitations of other techniques such as the use of insecticides. The sterile insect technique is an effective genetic control method to manage ...

EPA faces suit over plan to release genetically engineered mosquitoes

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R. Frazin,  The Hill,  2020.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is facing a lawsuit over its approval of a plan to release genetically modified mosquitoes in Florida and Texas

Company Receives Permit To Release Swarm Of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes In Florida

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I. Monzon,  International Business Times,  2020.
A federal agency has provided a biotech company with the proper permit to release a swarm of genetically altered mosquitoes in Florida as a way to curb the spread of diseases in the area. If the company receives the additional approvals, it might begin releasing the mosquitoes ...

‘Just Add Water’ GM Mosquitoes Suppress Wild Population by 95%

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H. Alber,  2020.
In order to reduce the spread of dengue, Oxitec releases genetically modified male Aedes mosquitoes into the environment. Once in the wild, these insects breed with local female mosquitoes and pass on a gene that causes female offspring to die at an early age. This method was ...

EPA Grants First Permit to Test Genetically Modified Mosquitoes

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Adam Allington,  Bloomberg Law,  2020.
British biotech company Oxitec Ltd was granted an experimental use permit to release a genetically engineered type of the mosquito species Aedes aegypti, which is a known vector of Zika virus and viruses that cause yellow fever and dengue fever, the Environmental Protection ...

EPA Approves Experimental Use Permit to Test Innovative Biopesticide Tool to Better Protect Public Health

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EPA,  EPA,  2020.
Today, after extensive evaluation of the best available science and public input, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has granted an experimental use permit (EUP) to Oxitec Ltd. to field test the use of genetically engineered Aedes aegypti mosquitoes as a way to reduce ...

Guidance Framework for Testing the Sterile Insect Technique as a Vector Control Tool against Aedes-Borne Diseases

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WHO & IAEA,  WHO & IAEA,  2020.
This document is intended to be a comprehensive guide for programme managers tasked with recommending a “go/no-go” decision on testing, full deployment and scale-up of the sterile insect technique (SIT) in regions of the world affected by diseases transmitted by Aedes ...

Mosquito-Borne Diseases Emergence/Resurgence and How to Effectively Control It Biologically

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H. Dahmana and O. Mediannikov,  Pathogens,  9:26. 2020.
Deadly pathogens and parasites are transmitted by vectors and the mosquito is considered the most threatening vector in public health, transmitting these pathogens to humans and animals. We are currently witnessing the emergence/resurgence in new regions/populations of the most ...

Efficient production of male Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes enables large-scale suppression of wild populations

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J. E. Crawford, D. W. Clarke, V. Criswell, M. Desnoyer, D. Cornel, B. Deegan, K. Gong, K. C. Hopkins, P. Howell, et al.,  Nature Biotechnology,  38:482-492. 2020.
The range of the mosquito Aedes aegypti continues to expand, putting more than two billion people at risk of arboviral infection. The sterile insect technique (SIT) has been used to successfully combat agricultural pests at large scale, but not mosquitoes, mainly because of ...

Editorial Expression of Concern: Transgenic Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes Transfer Genes into a Natural Population

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B. R. Evans, P. Kotsakiozi, A. L. Costa-Da-Silva, R. S. Ioshino, L. Garziera, M. C. Pedrosa, A. Malavasi, J. F. Virginio, M. L. Capurro and J. R. Powell,  Scientific Reports,  10:2. 2020.
Shortly after publication of this Article in September 2019, the Editors were alerted to concerns regarding the interpretation of the data and some of the conclusions.

Synthetically engineered mosquitos could neutralize dengue virus infection

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L. Woolfe,  Biotechniques,  2020.
Dengue virus infection can be severe and life threatening. New research has developed an improved approach to controlling this deadly infection.

Mosquitoes genetically modified to combat dengue

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Downtoearth,  Down To Earth,  2020.
For the first time mosquitoes have been engineered to fight all 4 known types of dengue

Genetically Modified Mosquitos Neutralize Dengue Virus

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N. P. Dyal,  Infectious Disease Advisor,  2020.
Researchers at the University of California San Diego have identified a target gene in mosquitos that renders the insects completely refractory to all 4 serotypes of the dengue virus and thus, incapable of transmitting the virus to humans, according to study results published in ...

Genetically modified mosquitoes resist all dengue viruses, researchers find

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B. Burton,  C|NET,  2020.
This new kind of mosquito can't spread any form of the deadly disease.

Genetically engineered mosquitoes resist spreading any form of dengue

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K. Servick,  Science,  2020.
Recover from dengue once, and you’re not necessarily free and clear. The mosquito-borne disease marked by fever, rash, and debilitating pain results from any of four genetically distinct versions of the dengue virus. Previously infected people who get hit with a second of these ...

Genetically engineered mosquitoes halt Dengue spread

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L. Thomas,  New Medical Life Sciences,  2020.
A new study published in the journal PLOS Pathogens in January 2020 reports the development of mosquitoes that have been genetically modified to resist infection by several types of the dengue virus. This is the first time ever that all types of the virus have been targeted by ...

Researchers Genetically Modify First Batch Of Mosquitoes Resistant To All Four Types Of Dengue

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M. Dapcevich,  IFL Science,  2020.
An international team of researchers have synthetically engineered a breed of mosquitos that are resistant to all four types of the dengue virus for the first time, a feat they say may someday suppress the disease and stop its transmission to humans.

Genetically engineered mosquitoes are immune to all strains of dengue virus for first time

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G. Weule,  ABC News Online,  2020.
Locked in a secure lab near Melbourne is the newest addition in the fight against dengue: genetically engineered mosquitoes that are resistant to all strains of the potentially deadly virus.

Mosquitoes resistant to all types of dengue virus engineered

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N. Lavars,  New Atlas,  2020.
Last year, scientists at Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) made a big breakthrough, engineering mosquitoes that break the chain of Zika virus transmission. But they did so with multiple targets in mind, with the mosquito in question, ...

Broad dengue neutralization in mosquitoes expressing an engineered antibody

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A. Buchman, S. Gamez, M. Li, I. Antoshechkin, H.-H. Li, H.-W. Wang, C.-H. Chen, M. J. Klein, J.-B. Duchemin, J. E. Crowe, Jr., P. N. Paradkar and O. S. Akbari,  PLOS Pathogens,  16:e1008103. 2020.
Author summary With limited success of traditional vector control methods to curb dengue infections and more than half of the world’s population still at risk, there is a need for novel strategies to reduce its impact on public health. Recent advances in genetic technologies ...

Development of a confinable gene drive system in the human disease vector Aedes aegypti

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M. Li, T. Yang, N. P. Kandul, M. Bui, S. Gamez, R. Raban, J. Bennett, H. M. Sánchez C, G. C. Lanzaro, H. Schmidt, Y. Lee, J. M. Marshall and O. S. Akbari,  eLife,  9:e51701. 2020.
Aedes aegypti is the principal mosquito vector for many arboviruses that increasingly infect millions of people every year. With an escalating burden of infections and the relative failure of traditional control methods, the development of innovative control measures has become ...

The potential cost-effectiveness of controlling dengue in Indonesia using wMel Wolbachia released at scale: a modelling study

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O. J. Brady, D. D. Kharisma, N. N. Wilastonegoro, K. M. Reilly, E. Hendricx, L. S. Bastos, L. Yakob and D. S. Shepard,  medRxiv,  2020.01.11.20017186. 2020.
Wolbachia releases in high density urban areas is expected to be highly cost-effective and could potentially be the first cost saving intervention for dengue. Sites with strong public health infrastructure, fiscal capacity, and community support should be prioritized.

Antiviral effectors and gene drive strategies for mosquito population suppression or replacement to mitigate arbovirus transmission by Aedes aegypti

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A. E. Williams, A. W. E. Franz, W. R. Reid and K. E. Olson,  Insects,  11:1-18. 2020.
The mosquito vector Aedes aegypti transmits arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) of medical importance, including Zika, dengue, and yellow fever viruses. Controlling mosquito populations remains the method of choice to prevent disease transmission. Novel mosquito control ...

Malaysia Wolbachia trials: Battling dengue and other mosquito-borne viruses

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2019.

Establishment of Wolbachia Strain wAlbB in Malaysian Populations of Aedes aegypti for Dengue Control

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W. A. Nazni, A. A. Hoffmann, A. NoorAfizah, Y. L. Cheong, M. V. Mancini, N. Golding, G. M. R. Kamarul, M. A. K. Arif, H. Thohir, H. NurSyamimi, M. Z. ZatilAqmar, M. NurRuqqayah, A. NorSyazwani, A. Faiz, F.-R. M. N. Irfan, S. Rubaaini, N. Nuradila, N. M. N,  Current Biology,  29:4241-4248.e5. 2019.
Dengue has enormous health impacts globally. A novel approach to decrease dengue incidence involves the introduction of Wolbachia endosymbionts that block dengue virus transmission into populations of the primary vector mosquito, Aedes aegypti. The wMel Wolbachia strain has ...

Transgenic Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes Transfer Genes into a Natural Population

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B. R. Evans, P. Kotsakiozi, A. L. Costa-da-Silva, R. S. Ioshino, L. Garziera, M. C. Pedrosa, A. Malavasi, J. F. Virginio, M. L. Capurro and J. R. Powell,  Scientific Reports,  9:6. 2019.
We genotyped the release strain and the target Jacobina population before releases began for >21,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Genetic sampling from the target population six, 12, and 27-30 months after releases commenced provides clear evidence that portions of the ...

Engineered action at a distance: Blood-meal-inducible paralysis in Aedes aegypti

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R. E. Haghighat-Khah, T. Harvey-Samuel, S. Basu, O. StJohn, S. Scaife, S. Verkuijl, E. Lovett and L. Alphey,  PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases,  13:e0007579. 2019.
Here we demonstrate that it is possible to engineer ‘non-cell autonomous’ effectors–that is where the effect (e.g. the action of a toxic protein) can act on cells distant from the tissues in which they are originally expressed. To achieve this we utilised the endogenous ...

Incompatible and sterile insect techniques combined eliminate mosquitoes

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X. Zheng, D. Zhang, Y. Li, C. Yang, Y. Wu, X. Liang, Y. Liang, X. Pan, L. Hu, Q. Sun, X. Wang, Y. Wei, J. Zhu, W. Qian, Z. Yan, A. G. Parker, J. R. L. Gilles, K. Bourtzis, J. Bouyer, M. Tang, B. Zheng, J. Yu, J. Liu, J. Zhuang, Z. Hu, M. Zhang, J.-T. Gon,  572,  56-61. 2019.
Here we show that combining incompatible and sterile insect techniques (IIT–SIT) enables near elimination of field populations of the world’s most invasive mosquito species, Aedes albopictus. Millions of factory-reared adult males with an artificial triple-Wolbachia infection ...

MGDrivE: A modular simulation framework for the spread of gene drives through spatially-explicit mosquito populations

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Sánchez C, HMW, Sean L.; Bennett, Jared B.; Marshall, John M.,  Methods in Ecology and Evolution,  10:1-24. 2019.
Malaria, dengue, Zika, and other mosquito-borne diseases continue to pose a major global health burden through much of the world, despite the widespread distribution of insecticide-based tools and antimalarial drugs. The advent of CRISPR/Cas9-based gene editing and its ...

Engineered resistance to Zika virus in transgenic Aedes aegypti expressing a polycistronic cluster of synthetic small RNAs

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Buchman, AG, S.; Li, M.; Antoshechkin, I.; Li, H. H.; Wang, H. W.; Chen, C. H.; Klein, M. J.; Duchemin, J. B.; Paradkar, P. N.; Akbari, O. S.,  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America,  116:3656-3661. 2019.
Recent Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreaks have highlighted the necessity for development of novel vector control strategies to combat arboviral transmission, including genetic versions of the sterile insect technique, artificial infection with Wolbachia to reduce population size and/or ...

Towards the genetic control of invasive species

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Harvey-Samuel, TA, T.; Alphey, L.,  Biological Invasions,  19:1683-1703. 2017.
Invasive species remain one of the greatest threats to global biodiversity. Their control would be enhanced through the development of more effective and sustainable pest management strategies. Recently, a novel form of genetic pest management (GPM) has been developed in which ...

Advances in vector control science: Rear-and-release strategies show promise… but don’t forget the basics

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Ritchie, SAJ, B. J.,  Journal of Infectious Diseases,  215:S103-S108. 2017.
Both chikungunya and Zika viruses have recently swept from Africa across the Pacific to the Americas, causing major outbreaks of disease in humans. In the meantime, dengue epidemics continue throughout the tropics. Traditional vector control programs based on strategies from ...

Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Probably Headed to Florida Keys to Fight Zika

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T. Elfrink,  Miami New Times,  2016.
The bad news: Zika is coming to Florida. This past Friday, two new cases of the virus linked to serious birth defects were reported in the state, and scientists believe it could spread rapidly come summer as mosquito populations explode. And we're still a long way away from a ...

Cheating evolution: engineering gene drives to manipulate the fate of wild populations

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Champer, JB, A.; Akbari, O. S.,  Nature Reviews Genetics,  17:146-159. 2016.
Engineered gene drives - the process of stimulating the biased inheritance of specific genes - have the potential to enable the spread of desirable genes throughout wild populations or to suppress harmful species, and may be particularly useful for the control of vector-borne ...

Back to the future: the sterile insect technique against mosquito disease vectors

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R. S. Lees, J. R. L. Gilles, J. Hendrichs, M. J. B. Vreysen and K. Bourtzis,  Current Opinion in Insect Science,  10:156-162. 2015.
With the global burden of mosquito-borne diseases increasing, and some conventional vector control tools losing effectiveness, the sterile insect technique (SIT) is a potential new tool in the arsenal. Equipment and protocols have been developed and validated for efficient ...

Regulatory experience and challenges for the release of GM insects

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Beech, C,  Journal Fur Verbraucherschutz Und Lebensmittelsicherheit-Journal of Consumer Protection and Food Safety,  9:S71-S76. 2014.
Genetically modified (GM) insects are a potentially valuable new tool for the biological control of insect pests of humans, animals and plants. Considerable progress has been made recently in transfer of GM insects from the laboratory to release and evaluation in the environment. ...

Requirements for effective malaria control with homing endonuclease genes

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Deredec, AG, H. C. J.; Burt, A.,  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America,  108:e874-e880. 2011.
Malaria continues to impose a substantial burden on human health. We have previously proposed that biological approaches to control the mosquito vector of disease could be developed using homing endonuclease genes (HEGs), a class of selfish or parasitic gene that exists naturally ...

Wolbachia and cytoplasmic incompatibility in mosquitoes

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Sinkins, SP,  Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology,  34:723-729. 2004.
Wolbachia are maternally inherited bacteria that induce cytoplasmic incompatibility in mosquitoes, and are able to use these patterns of sterility to spread themselves through populations. For this reason they have been proposed as a gene drive system for mosquito genetic ...

Mariner transposition and transformation of the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti

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C. J. Coates, N. Jasinskiene, L. Miyashiro and A. A. James,  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America,  95:3748-3751. 1998.
The mariner transposable element is capable of interplasmid transposition in the embryonic soma of the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti. To determine if this demonstrated mobility could be utilized to genetically transform the mosquito, a modified mariner element marked with ...

Sterility introduced by release of genetically altered males to a domestic population of Aedes aegypti at the Kenya coast

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P. T. McDonald, W. Hausermann and N. Lorimer,  Am J Trop Med Hyg,  26:553-61. 1977.
The release of males heterozygous for one or two sex-linked translocations was effective in introducing a high level of sterility into a domestic population of Aedes aegypti at a Rabai village. The effect of the releases continued for several weeks after the release period. Male ...