Keywords: Vector control

Equatorial Guinea’s high-tech push to end malaria by 2030

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Ronald Musoke,  The Independent,  2026.
In the humid equatorial belt of Central Africa; where dense forests, heavy rains and winding rivers create ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes, malaria has long been a stubborn public health adversary. For Equatorial Guinea, the disease has shaped health outcomes, economic ...

Modelling Aedes albopictus management, incorporating immigration and bi-directional Wolbachia interactions

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Ryan, M., Mendiolar, M., Pagendam, D. et al.,  J Pest Sci,  99. 2026.
Aedes albopictus mosquitoes are competent vectors for the spread of at least 24 different arboviruses, including dengue, Ross River, and Japanese encephalitis viruses. However, they remain less studied than their more urban cousins, Aedes aegypti. We model an incompatible ...

Advances in male sex separation for the support of mosquito control programs

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Duman-Scheel M,  Frontiers in Insect Science,  6. 2026.
Several mosquito control technologies, including the sterile insect technique (SIT), the incompatible insect technique (IIT), and a variety of genetic technologies are emerging as promising solutions for combatting insecticide resistance and the spread of vector-borne diseases. ...

Present and Future of Mosquito-Borne Disease Control in Europe with a Specific Focus on the Mediterranean

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Cholvi, M., Moretti, R., Osório, H. C., et al.,  Insects,  17. 2026.
Mosquito-borne diseases are an emerging public health challenge in Europe, driven by the spread of invasive mosquito species capable of sustaining outbreaks of tropical arboviral diseases. Rising temperatures, shifting precipitation patterns, human-driven habitat changes, and ...

Locally Acquired Dengue in Townsville, Australia, 2024–2025: An Outbreak Report in a Non-Endemic Region with wMel Wolbachia-Infected Aedes aegypti

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Thompson, K., Lyons, S., Malone, K., Fryk, J., Pyke, A., & Murton, K.,  Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease,  11. 2026.
During the 2024/2025 wet season, Townsville had its first sustained autochthonous outbreak of dengue disease caused by dengue virus type 2 (DENV-2), the second locally transmitted outbreak of dengue since 2014 following the introduction of wMel strain Wolbachia-infected ...

Field implementation of the sterile insect technique against Aedes aegypti in Recife, Brazil: operational challenges and impact of release frequency on vector dynamics

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Macedo, A.T., Carvalho, D.O., Gomez, M. et al.,  Infectious Diseases of Poverty,  15. 2026.
The sterile insect technique (SIT) is an environmentally friendly tool for suppressing Aedes aegypti populations. While promising in controlled settings, its application in large urban environments presents logistical and biological challenges. This trial focused on releasing ...

Serratia species as paratransgenic vehicles: potential applications in vector-borne disease control

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Mahor S, Gupta H. 0.,  Clinical Microbiology Reviews,  2026.
Paratransgenesis employs insect-associated bacteria to deliver antipathogen effectors and is an emergent complementary strategy for vector control. This review synthesizes current evidence for Serratia species as paratransgenic vehicles, combining mechanistic insights into ...

Assessing the population genetic structure and demographic history of Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles arabiensis at island and mainland sites in Uganda: implications for testing novel malaria vector control approaches

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Mwima, R., Hui, TY.J., Lukyamuzi, E. et al.,  Malar J,  2026.
Despite substantial investments in malaria control, the disease remains a major burden in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly Uganda. Novel tools such as gene drive systems are being developed to suppress malaria vector populations, but their deployment requires detailed knowledge ...

The Genomic Arms Race in Mosquito-Borne Diseases: Integrating Entomopathogenic Fungi, Gene Drive, and Symbiont Technologies for Sustainable Vector Control

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Rajendran Yamini, Pagalahalli Sankaran Shanmugam, Marimuthu Murugan, et al.,  J Pure Appl Microbiol.,  20:53-65. 2026.
Mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and lymphatic filariasis continue to impose enormous health and economic burdens worldwide. The traditional reliance on chemical insecticides has been undermined by the rapid evolution of resistance, ecological ...

The symbiotic Wolbachia in Anopheles and its role in reducing the transmission of Plasmodium: updates and prospects

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Nehra, R., Dhanda, S., Singh, K. et al.,  Archives of Microbiology,  208. 2026.
Reducing malaria transmission and the prospects for vector control include multi-pronged strategies, such as interrupting the parasite cycle in both vectors and mosquitoes. Effective vector control remains essential to prevent malaria transmission. This is all the more important ...

Wolbachia for malaria control

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Zhang, Xinmi et al.,  Trends in Parasitology,  2026.
Malaria remains a major public health concern, and traditional vector control methods face growing challenges, underscoring the need for novel strategies. The success of Wolbachia-based dengue control, together with the establishment ...

Genetic Biocontrol Strategy Considerations for Mosquito Control in the Pacific Island Countries and Territories

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Adam E. Vorsino, Tim Harvey-Samuel, Limb K. Hapairai, et al.,  Current Opinion in Insect Science,  2026.
Mosquito-borne diseases pose an existential threat to the health, economies, and unique ecosystems of Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs). The remoteness of these islands, combined with the presence of highly competent mosquito vectors, complicates disease ...

Wolbachia as a transformative tool for mosquito-borne disease control: a comprehensive review of mechanisms, efficacy, and future directions

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Minaei, M. E., Yousefi Nojookambari, N., Ghodraty, M., & Yazdansetad, S.,  Pathogens and Global Health,  2025.
Mosquito-borne infectious diseases such as dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and malaria continue to pose significant public health challenges worldwide. Traditional control methods, including the use of insecticides and environmental management, have shown limited effectiveness due to ...

Rethinking the future of mosquito control

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Kabirul Bashar, Dr Zonaed Siddiki. Dr Zonaed Siddiki, et al.,  Dhaka Tribune,  2025.
Bangladesh is once again in the grip of a severe dengue and chikungunya crisis in 2025. Hospitals are overwhelmed, fever wards are full, and doctors are working tirelessly. Families live in fear of mosquito bites, while daily news reports chronicle rising infections and deaths. ...

Improving Wolbachia-based control programs in urban settings: Insights from spatial modeling

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Florez D, Cortez R, Hyman JM, Qu Z,  PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases,  19. 2025.
Arboviral diseases remain a major public health concern, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions where mosquito populations thrive. One promising strategy to curb transmission is the release of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes infected with Wolbachia, a bacterium that reduces ...

A male-drive female-sterile system for the self-limited control of the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae

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Strampelli, A., Willis, K., Gulliford, H.R. et al.,  Nature Communications,  16. 2025.
Despite great leaps forward in preventing and treating malaria, several challenges, including insecticide resistance, have hindered progress in fighting the disease. Thus, there is a pressing need for new tools to control malaria, including the use of genetically modified ...

Requirements for designing cluster randomised control trials to detect suppression of malaria vector population densities

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Hancock, P.A., Hui, TY.J., Epopa, P.S. et al.,  BMC Biology,  23. 2025.
Novel interventions for mosquito-borne disease control which release modified mosquitoes that are sterilised or genetically modified to cause offspring inviability are progressing towards field applications. Cluster randomised control trials (CRCTs) could provide robust ...

CRISPR/Cas9-germline editing of Biomphalaria glabrata: A breakthrough in genetic modification of snails that transmit schistosomiasis

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Kouhei Oonuma et al.,  Science Advances,  11. 2025.
Human schistosomiasis remains one of the most devastating parasitic diseases worldwide, and the development of genetically modified vector snails has long been a goal in the field. Here, we report the successful creation of genetically modified Biomphalaria glabrata, an ...

Bacteria-mediated dsRNA delivery for mosquito-borne virus control

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Mine Altinli, Sean P. Leonard, Alain Kohl, et al.,  Trends in Parasitology,  41:880-893. 2025.
Mosquito-borne viruses represent an increasing global public health threat, exacerbated by urbanisation and climate change, thus making effective mosquito control essential. RNA interference (RNAi), a sequence-specific gene regulation mechanism, can be a flexible vector control ...

Dispersal and survival of gamma-irradiated Culex quinquefasciatus: Implications for sterile insect technique applications

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Nungki Hapsari Suryaningtyas, Raden Wisnu Nurcahyo, Beni Ernawan, et al.,  Open Veterinary Journal,  15:3054-3062. 2025.
Culex quinquefasciatus is a major vector of filariasis and other mosquito-borne diseases. The sterile insect technique (SIT) has been widely used to suppress mosquito populations, but its effectiveness depends on the dispersal, survival, and competitiveness of sterile males. This ...

Suppression of Aedes albopictus in Sri Lanka using the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) with a sustained effect

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Menaka Hapugoda, Nilmini Silva Gunawardene, Tharaka Ranathunge, Sudath Samaraweera, K. Karunathilake, Bazoumana B.D. Sow, Gayan Parakrama Withanage, Indika Weerasinghe, Hamidou Maiga and Jeremy Bouyer,  Parasite,  32. 2025.
Dengue fever remains a significant public health concern in Sri Lanka, leading to recurrent epidemics and imposing substantial socio-economic burdens. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) against Aedes albopictus (Skuse), the predominant ...

Advances in population-based interventions to control falciparum malaria

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Samuel E Glossop, Thomas J Peto, Bipin Adhikari,  Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene,  2025.
Malaria is a complex disease and transmission can be prevented in multiple ways. A range of interventions to achieve this became widely available from the year 2000, and cases continually declined, but progress has plateaued since 2015. This review aims to cover the ...

Reprogramming Sex for Vector Control: Maleness-Associated Transgenes in Aedes albopictus

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Doron Shalom Yishai Zaada, Philippos Aris Papathanos, Eric Marois,  Current Opinion in Insect Science,  2025.
Among other challenges, the world currently faces the expansion of pest insects such as the tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus, a growing threat to public health due to the pathogens it can transmit. Current control approaches based on insecticides or elimination of mosquito larval ...

Genetically engineered mice could take the bite out of Lyme disease on Nantucket, scientists say

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Jon LaPook, Denise Schrier Cetta, Aliza Chasan, Katie Brennan,  CBS News,  2025.
Over the past 40 years, Dr. Timothy Lepore has been the emergency room head, sole surgeon and medical examiner on Nantucket, a small island off Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Today he runs the only private practice, where he treats dozens of patients with Lyme disease each year. About ...

Wolbachia Infection in Iranian Malaria Vectors: Prevalence and Biocontrol Implications

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Shahin Saeedi, Fateh Karimian, Seyed Hassan Moosa-Kazemi, et al.,  Tropical Medicine & International health,  2025.
Wolbachia-based vector control is an emerging tool in malaria prevention research. This study evaluates Wolbachia infection in Iranian mosquitoes, focusing on seven known malaria vectors. Mosquitoes were collected from nine provinces of Iran (2016–2019), ...

Application of Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) for Aedes albopictus (Skuse, 1895) in Sri Lanka: Dose optimization, mating competitiveness and release ratios

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Harishchandra J, Abeyewickreme W, Premaratne R, Hapugoda M,  PLoS One,  20. 2025.
Sri Lanka has experienced severe dengue epidemics in recent years, despite the extensive vector control measures taken. Therefore, it is necessary to find sustainable vector control strategies against dengue. Novel vector control tools need to be tested for the feasibility of ...

Long-Term Durability and Public Health Impact of City-Wide wMel Wolbachia Mosquito Releases in Niterói, Brazil, During a Dengue Epidemic Surge

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Anders, Katherine L., Gabriel Sylvestre Ribeiro, Renato da Silva Lopes, Pilar Amadeu, Thiago Rodrigues da Costa, Thais Irene Souza Riback, Karlos Diogo de Melo Chalegre, Wesley Pimentel de Oliveira, Cátia Cabral da Silva, Marcos Vinicius Ferreira Mendes B,  Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease,  10. 2025.
In 2024, the Americas experienced the largest dengue outbreak on record and Brazil was among the worst affected countries, reporting 6.6 million cases and 6200 deaths. We report the long-term entomological and epidemiological effectiveness of city-wide deployment ...

Comparison of the standard and boosted sterile insect techniques for the suppression of Aedes albopictus populations under semi-field conditions

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Marlène Dupraz, Renaud Lancelot, Gorgui Diouf, et al.,  Parasite,  32. 2025.
Innovative control tools are needed against Aedes mosquitoes. The boosted sterile insect technique (bSIT) consists of treating sterile males with a biocide prior to their release to contaminate larval habitats. We compared the efficacy of SIT and boosted SIT to prevent the ...

Emerging challenges for mosquito-borne disease control and the promise of symbiont-based transmission-blocking strategies

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Gao H, Hu W, Cui C, Wang Y, Zheng Y, Jacobs-Lorena M, et al.,  PLoS Pathog,  21. 2025.
Mosquitoes serve as vectors for a variety of pathogens that cause life-threatening diseases, such as malaria, dengue, Zika, and yellow fever. With the rise of antimalarial drug resistance and a lack of therapeutics or prophylactics for dengue and Zika, current disease control ...

Effectiveness of the sterile insect technique in controlling Aedes albopictus as part of an integrated control measure: evidence from a first small-scale field trial in Switzerland

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Parrondo Monton, D., Ravasi, D., Campana, V. et al.,  Infect Dis Poverty,  14. 2025.
The invasive Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) poses growing health risks across Europe. In Switzerland, a preliminary field trial was conducted to assess the feasibility of integrating the sterile insect technique (SIT) into existing integrated vector management (IVM), ...

Knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP), and acceptance and willingness to pay (WTP) for mosquito-borne diseases control through sterile mosquito release in Bangkok, Thailand

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Kittayapong P, Ninphanomchai S, Jalichandra N, Sringernyuang L, Sherer P, Meemon N,  PLoS Negl Trop Dis,  19. 2025.
A questionnaire survey was conducted in seven communities in Bangkok, Thailand to obtain baseline information on knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) related to mosquito-borne diseases, i.e., dengue, chikungunya and Zika, including mosquito vectors and how to control them. ...

Vector Control District Plans Experimental Mosquito Control Program

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Contributing Editor,  MyNewsLA.com,  2025.
Batches of irradiated male mosquitoes are slated for release Wednesday in Lake Elsinore with the goal of pairing the modified insects with as many females as possible to kill off the overall mosquito population, under an experimental program that apparently hasn’t generated ...

CRISPR technologies for the control and study of malaria-transmitting anopheline mosquitoes

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Smidler, A.L., Akbari, O.S.,  Parasites Vectors,  18. 2025.
Malaria is one of the deadliest diseases on the planet, killing approximately 600,000 people annually, and is transmitted by the bite of an anopheline mosquito. Anophelines, and the diseases they transmit, have changed the course of history and the fate of nations, and their ...

Integrated vector management with the sterile insect technique component for the suppression of Aedes aegypti in an urban setting in Indonesia

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Sasmita HI, Neoh K-B, Ernawan B, Indarwatmi M, Nasution IA, Fitrianto N, et al.,  PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases,  2025.
The sterile insect technique (SIT) involves subjecting laboratory-bred male mosquitoes to radiation, typically gamma rays, X-rays, or electrons, that render them sterile. These sterile male mosquitoes are then released into the field to mate with wild female mosquitoes. From that ...

Extended time to maturity in Anopheles coluzzii: Implications of late egg hatch for vector control and transgene fitness

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Emmanuel C. Ottih, Joe M. Roberts, Toby J. A. Bruce, Frédéric Tripet,  Medical and Veterinary Entomology,  2025.
Maintaining fitness is an important consideration when mosquitoes are mass-reared for the deployment of genetic interventions that are designed to suppress populations because released mosquitoes need to compete with wild-type mosquitoes. Late-hatching mosquitoes are more ...

Paratransgenesis: Overview, Current Perspectives, and Future Research Needs for Malaria Control

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Oziegbe, O., Okeke, C.C., Esho, D.O.,  Springer, Cham.,  2025.
Malaria is an insect-borne disease (IBD) that is responsible for significant human mortality and morbidity globally. Several effective vector and parasite control strategies have been considered to control malaria. However, paratransgenesis is a strategy targeted towards parasite ...

Assessing the population genetic structure and demographic history of Anopheles gambiae and An. arabiensis at island and mainland populations in Uganda: Implications for testing novel malaria vector control approaches

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Rita Mwima, Tin-Yu J. Hui, Edward Lukyamuzi, et al,  bioRxiv,  2025.
This study collected 2918 Anopheles gambiae and 173 Anopheles. arabiensis across six populations from both the islands on Lake Victoria and mainland Uganda for amplicon sequencing. Large pairwise FST values were observed between the two species, indicating their divergence. We ...

Suppression of Aedes mosquito populations with the boosted sterile insect technique in tropical and Mediterranean urban areas

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Bouyer, J., Gil, D.A., Mora, I.P. et al.,  Scientific Reports,  15. 2025.
Aedes mosquitoes are the vectors of dengue viruses and other arboviruses, which threaten billions of people all over the world. The boosted sterile insect technique (boosted SIT) is a version of SIT in which irradiated sterile males also transmit a biocide to immature stages. We ...

Spiroplasma infection in colonized Glossina fuscipes fuscipes: impact on mass rearing and the sterile insect technique

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Kiswend-sida M. Dera, Daouda Tande Barro, Bénéwendé Aristide Kaboré, et al,  Insect Science,  2025.
Tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) can vector the parasites (Trypanosoma spp.) that cause the socioeconomically devastating neglected tropical diseases human and animal African trypanosomoses. In addition to this parasite, tsetse can harbor four genera of endosymbiotic bacteria, ...

Overview of the sterile insect technique for Aedes aegypti in Lee County, Florida, USA

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Morreale, R., Stenhouse, S., Bajonero, J. et al.,  Infectious Diseases of Poverty,  14. 2025.
Lee County Mosquito Control District (LCMCD) is an independent taxing district that works to protect human health and improve quality of life in Lee County, Florida, USA. With local dengue transmission in southern Florida, LCMCD prioritized the control of Aedes aegypti. Due to ...

Optimizing Cost-Effective Larval Diets for Mass Rearing of Aedes Mosquitoes in Vector Control Programs

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Li, Q., Wei, T., Sun, Y., Khan, J., & Zhang, D.,  Insects,  16. 2025.
Larval diet composition significantly influences the developmental, physiological, and reproductive traits of Ae. albopictus and Ae. aegypti, major arbovirus vectors. Optimizing larval nutrition is essential for mass-rearing programs supporting the sterile insect technique and ...

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 ...

Exploiting Wolbachia as a Tool for Mosquito-Borne Disease Control: Pursuing Efficacy, Safety, and Sustainability

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Moretti, R., Lim, J. T., Ferreira, A. G. A., et al,  Pathogens,  14:285. 2025.
Despite the application of control measures, mosquito-borne diseases continue to pose a serious threat to human health. In this context, exploiting Wolbachia, a common symbiotic bacterium in insects, may offer effective solutions to suppress vectors or reduce their competence in ...

Generating sterile Anopheles mosquitoes to combat malaria transmission

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Xu, X. and Champer, J.,  Research Communities by Springer Nature,  2025.
Malaria remains a deadly disease, claiming hundreds of thousands of lives worldwide every year. The primary vectors of malaria are Anopheles mosquitoes, including Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles stephensi. Controlling mosquito populations is crucial for stopping malaria ...

Life-history traits of a fluorescent Anopheles arabiensis genetic sexing strain introgressed into South African genomic background

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Nonhlanhla L. Ntoyi, Thabo Mashatola, Jérémy Bouyer, Carina Kraupa, Hamidou Maiga, Wadaka Mamai, Nanwintoum, Bimbile‑Somda, Thomas Wallner, Danilo O. Carvalho, Givemore Munhenga and Hanano Yamada,  Malaria Journal,  21. 2025.
South Africa has set a mandate to eliminate local malaria transmission by 2023. In pursuit of this objective a Sterile Insect Technique programme targeting the main vector Anopheles arabiensis is currently under development. Significant progress has been made towards ...

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 ...

Gene Drive Technology Offers Hope For Malaria Vector Control

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Evrim Ağacı,  The Pinnacle Gazette,  2025.
A team of scientists has developed an innovative gene drive targeting Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes, a key malaria vector in urban areas. Their strategy uses CRISPR technology to disrupt the doublesex (dsx) gene, crucial for female fertility, thereby reducing mosquito ...

A comprehensive review of biological and genetic control approaches for leishmaniasis vector sand flies; emphasis towards promoting tools for integrated vector management

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Kumari, Y., Gunathilaka, N., Amarasinghe, D.,  PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases,  19. 2025.
Leishmaniasis is a health problem in many regions with poor health and poor life resources. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 700,000–1 million new cases arise annually. Effective control of sand fly vector populations is crucial for reducing the ...

Female mosquito targeted with venom to curb disease

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Dann Okoth,  Scidev.net,  2025.
A genetic biocontrol method which reduces the lifespan of female insects could work as fast as pesticides to reduce populations of disease-spreading mosquitoes and destructive crop pests, according to researchers. Insect pests pose a huge threat to global health and agriculture, ...

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 ...

Genetically Engineered Male Insects Shorten Their Mates’ Lifespans

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Sneha Khedkar,  The Scientist,  2025.
On a still night, as the air is thick with silence, the sharp, whining buzz of a mosquito shatters the calm. These blood-sucking insects that disturb people’s deep slumber are also responsible for spreading diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, malaria and Zika fever, which ...

Wolbachia-Based Approaches to Controlling Mosquito-Borne Viral Threats: Innovations, AI Integration, and Future Directions in the Context of Climate Change

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Branda, F., Cella, E., Scarpa, F., et al.,  Viruses,  16:1868. 2025.
Wolbachia-based mosquito control strategies have gained significant attention as a sustainable approach to reduce the transmission of vector-borne diseases such as dengue, Zika, and chikungunya. These endosymbiotic bacteria can limit the ability of mosquitoes to transmit ...

Mitigating dengue transmission in Africa: the need for Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes’ rollout

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Samson Ogunlade, Adeshina Adekunle, Emma McBryde,  Frontiers,  12. 2025.
Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne viral disease that poses a significant public health concern globally. The disease is primarily transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and the range of clinical manifestations vary from flu-like symptoms to more serious conditions such as dengue ...

Exploring The Dynamics of Gene Drive Mosquitoes Within Wild Populations Using an Agent-Based Simulation

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S. Wickramasooriya, I. Mahmood, et al.,  IEEE Xplore,  2024.
Gene drive technology is emerging as a potentially powerful tool in combating vector-borne diseases – notably malaria. This study introduces an agent-based model (ABM) focused on the deployment of genetically engineered mosquitoes with gene drive (GEM) in Príncipe Island, ...

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 ...

TWiV 1161: Baby you can drive my gene

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MicrobeTV,  YouTube,  2024.
TWiV reviews continuing expansion of poliovirus type 2, removal of influenza B/Yamagata from the vaccine, Nobel Prize for miRNAs, protective immune response with a adenovirus-associated virus vector expressing a computationally designed hemagglutinin, and viral gene drive during ...

Wolbachia-based emerging strategies for control of vector-transmitted disease

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Diego Montenegro, Gerardo Cortés-Cortés, María Guadalupe Balbuena-Alonso, et al.,  Acta Tropica,  260. 2024.
Dengue fever is a mosquito-transmitted disease of great public health importance. Dengue lacks adequate vaccine protection and insecticide-based methods of mosquito control are proving increasingly ineffective. Here we review the emerging use of mosquitoes transinfected with the ...

Practical Application of a Relationship-Based Model to Engagement for Gene-Drive Vector Control Programs

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Ana Kormos, Lodney Nazaré, Adionilde Aguiar dos Santos, and Gregory C. Lanzaro,  The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene,  111:341-360. 2024.
Engagement is an important component in the advancement of gene-drive vector control research programs as developers look to transition the technology from the laboratory to the field. As research advances and engagement surrounding this novel technology is put into practice, ...

Exploring new tools to fight vector-borne diseases: research and governance implications

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Alekos Simoni,  Outreach Network for Gene Drive Research,  2024.
I recently had the honor and pleasure of attending an event co-organized by the Outreach Network for Gene Drive Research at the European Parliament in Brussels, and delivering a presentation on our work at Target Malaria to develop new genetic tools to reduce malaria ...

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 ...

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 ...

Applications of Mathematical Programming to Genetic Biocontrol

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Váleri N. Vásquez, John M. Marshall,  SIAM Journal on Applied Mathematics,  84. 2024.
We review existing approaches to optimizing the deployment of genetic biocontrol technologies—tools used to prevent vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue—and formulate a mathematical program that enables the incorporation of crucial ecological and logistical ...

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 ...

Genetically Modified Wolbachia mosquitoes help reduce virus transmission

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Precision Vaccinations,  2024.
Every year on World Mosquito Day, diseases spread by mosquitoes, which account for over 17% of all infectious diseases and lead to more than 700,000 deaths annually, are highlighted. Parasites, bacteria, or viruses can cause these diseases, including chikungunya, malaria, dengue, ...

A Y chromosome-linked genome editor for efficient population suppression in the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae

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Ignacio Tolosana, Katie Willis, Austin Burt, Matthew Gribble, Tony Nolan, Andrea Crisanti, Federica Bernardini,  bioRxiv,  2024.
Genetic control – the deliberate introduction of genetic traits to control a pest or vector population – offers a powerful tool to augment conventional mosquito control tools that have been successful in reducing malaria burden but that are compromised by a range of ...

How could genetic approaches be integrated in the malaria toolkit?

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Damaris Matoke-Muhia,  Outreach Network for Gene Drive Research,  2024.
The Outreach Network for Gene Drive Research organized a symposium on the margins of the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM Society)’s 8th Pan-African Malaria Conference held last week in Kigali, Rwanda. The event explored how novel genetic approaches could be integrated ...

To fend off aggressive female mosquitoes, L.A. is releasing thousands of sterile males

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Evan Bush,  NBC News,  2024.
In Los Angeles, those who wage war on mosquitoes are adding a weapon to their arsenal: more mosquitoes. The Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District on Thursday launched a pilot program to release tens of thousands of irradiated, lab-raised mosquitoes into the local ...

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.

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 ...

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 ...

Stakeholder engagement in the development of genetically modified mosquitoes for malaria control in West Africa: lessons learned from 10 years of Target Malaria’s work in Mali

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Bakara Dicko, Souleymane Kodio, Hatouma Samoura, Fatoumata Traoré, Naima Sykes, Mouhamed Drabo, Delphine Thizy, Isabelle Coche, Benjamin Robinson, Kadiatou Sanogo, Bilkissou Yagouré, Samba Diop, Mamadou B. Coulibaly,  Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology,  11. 2024.
From 2012 to 2023, the Malaria Research and Training Center (MRTC), based out of the University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako (USTTB), was part of the Target Malaria research consortium working towards developing novel gene drive-based tools for controlling ...

Germline transformation of the West Nile Virus and avian malaria vector Culex quinquefasciatus Say using the piggyBac transposon system

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Katherine Nevard, Rajdeep Kaur, Tim Harvey-Samuel,  bioRxiv,  2023.
Culex quinquefasciatus Say is a mosquito which acts as a vector for numerous diseases including West Nile Virus, lymphatic filariasis and avian malaria, over a broad geographical range. As the effectiveness of insecticidal mosquito control methods declines, the need has grown to ...

Advances and challenges in synthetic biology for mosquito control

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Shih-Che Weng, Reem A. Masri, Omar S. Akbari,  Trends in Parasitology,  2023.
Mosquito-borne illnesses represent a significant global health peril, resulting in approximately one million fatalities annually. West Nile, dengue, Zika, and malaria are continuously expanding their global reach, driven by factors that escalate mosquito populations and pathogen ...

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. ...

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. ...

Life-history traits of a fluorescent Anopheles arabiensis genetic sexing strain introgressed into South African genomic background

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N. L. Ntoyi, T. Mashatola, J. Bouyer, C. Kraupa, H. Maiga, W. Mamai, N. S. Bimbile-Somda, T. Wallner, D. O. Carvalho, G. Munhenga and H. Yamada,  Malaria Journal,  21:12. 2022.
Background South Africa has set a mandate to eliminate local malaria transmission by 2023. In pursuit of this objective a Sterile Insect Technique programme targeting the main vector Anopheles arabiensis is currently under development. Significant progress has been made towards ...

Operationalizing stakeholder engagement for gene drive research in malaria elimination in Africa-translating guidance into practice

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L. Pare Toe, B. Dicko, R. Linga, N. Barry, M. Drabo, N. Sykes and D. Thizy,  Malaria Journal,  21:225. 2022.
Gene drive mosquitoes are increasingly considered a potential transformational tool for vector control of malaria mosquitoes. As part of efforts to promote responsible research in this field, a number of guidance documents have been published by the World Health Organization, ...

Recommendations for environmental risk assessment of gene drive applications for malaria vector control

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J. B. Connolly, J. D. Mumford, D. C. M. Glandorf, S. Hartley, O. T. Lewis, S. W. Evans, G. Turner, C. Beech, N. Sykes, M. B. Coulibaly, J. Romeis, J. L. Teem, W. Tonui, B. Lovett, A. Mankad, A. Mnzava, S. Fuchs, T. D. Hackett, W. G. Landis, J. M. Marshall,  Malar J,  21:152. 2022.
Building on an exercise that identified potential harms from simulated investigational releases of a population suppression gene drive for malaria vector control, a series of online workshops identified nine recommendations to advance future environmental risk assessment of gene ...

Role of CRISPR Technology in Gene Editing of Emerging and Re-emerging Vector Borne Disease

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K. K. Mahto, P. Prasad, M. Kumar, H. Dubey and A. Ranjan,  Recent Advances in Pathogen Interactions, Immunity, and Vector Control Strategies,  2022.
Vector borne diseases are rampant across the world. Due to spread and estab-lishment of vector species in different geographical areas, vector adaptation and resistance towards many insecticides the only option left is vector control for vari-ous vector borne diseases. Recent ...

New frontiers in vector control

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WHO,  World Health Organization,  2022.
Ever since Sir Ronald Ross discovered malaria parasites in an Anopheles mosquito in 1897, controlling insect vectors has played an increasingly important role in reducing the burden of the disease. For decades after World War II, indoor residual spraying (IRS) with insecticides ...

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 ...

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 ...

Thirteenth meeting of the WHO Vector Control Advisory Group

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Vector Control Advisory Group,  WHO,  2021.
VCAG experts met virtually with product developers, innovators and researchers from 7 to 10 December 2020 for the 13th VCAG meeting. This report details the proceedings and outcomes of the meeting, including advice provided to the following applicants: bait stations; lethal house ...

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 ...

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 ...

Interdisciplinary development of a standardized introduction to gene drives for lay audiences

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C. E. Schairer, C. Triplett, A. Buchman, O. S. Akbari and C. S. Bloss,  BMC Medical Research Methodology,  20:15. 2020.
While there is wide consensus that the public should be consulted about emerging technology early in development, it is difficult to elicit public opinion about innovations unfamiliar to lay audiences. We sought public input on a program of research on genetic engineering to ...

Burkina Faso Stakeholders consultations on Gene Drive Technology for integrated vector management towards malaria elimination

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AUDA-NEPAD,  AUDA-NEPAD,  2020.
Under its flagship Integrated Vector Management (IVM) Programme, African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) in partnership with the National biosafety agency (ANB) of Burkina Faso organized an information sharing workshop on the applications of "Gene Drive" technology and ...

Ethics and vector-borne diseases

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Geneva: World Health Organization,  WHO Guidance,  2020.
The guidance was developed by an international group of experts in vector control, infectious disease ethics, maternal and child health, ecology and climate change, research and vaccine development, and public health communication. It examines a broad range of ethical ...

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.

CRISPR/Cas9 gene drive technology to control transmission of vector-borne parasitic infections

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M. Nateghi Rostami,  Parasite Immunology,  preprint:e12762. 2020.
Gene drive is the process of copying of an endonuclease-containing cassette that leads to increased frequency of inheritance of the desired traits in a targeted population. CRISPR/Cas9 technology is advancing genetic manipulation of insects in the field of gene drive ...

Position Paper on Integrated Vector Management: Strengthening AU Members’ Regulatory Capacities for Responsible Research Towards Elimination of Malaria in Africa

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African Union Development Agency - NEPAD,  AUDA-NEPAD,  2020.
Africa continues to bear a heavy brunt of the malaria which is a disease transmitted by the female Anopheles mosquito. Thousands of lives, mostly of young children, are lost every year; which undermines efforts deployed at various levels for increased life expectancy and improved ...

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 ...

Opinions of key stakeholders on alternative interventions for malaria control and elimination in Tanzania

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M. F. Finda, N. Christofides, J. Lezaun, B. Tarimo, P. Chaki, A. H. Kelly, N. Kapologwe, P. Kazyoba, B. Emidi and F. O. Okumu,  Malaria Journal,  19:164. 2020.
Malaria control in Tanzania currently relies primarily on long-lasting insecticidal nets and indoor residual spraying, alongside effective case management and behaviour change communication. This study explored opinions of key stakeholders on the national progress towards malaria ...

Winning the tug-of-war between effector gene design and pathogen evolution in vector population replacement strategies

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Marshall, J. M., R. R. Raban, N. P. Kandul, J. R. Edula, T. M. León and O. S. Akbari,  Frontiers in Genetics,  10:1072. 2019.
While efforts to control malaria with available tools have stagnated, and arbovirus outbreaks persist around the globe, the advent of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)-based gene editing has provided exciting new opportunities for genetics-based ...

A Y-chromosome shredding gene drive for controlling pest vertebrate populations

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Prowse, TAAA, F.; Cassey, P.; Thomas, P.; Ross, J. V.,  eLife,  8:19. 2019.
Self-replicating gene drives that modify sex ratios or infer a fitness cost could be used to control populations of invasive alien species. The targeted deletion of Y sex chromosomes using CRISPR technology offers a new approach for sex bias that could be incorporated within ...

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 ...

Transgenic Mosquitoes – Fact or Fiction?

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Wilke, A. B. B., J. C. Beier and G. Benelli,  Trends in Parasitology,  34:456-465. 2018.
echnologies for controlling mosquito vectors based on genetic manipulation and the release of genetically modified mosquitoes (GMMs) are gaining ground. However, concrete epidemiological evidence of their effectiveness, sustainability, and impact on the environment and nontarget ...

Engineered Reciprocal Chromosome Translocations Drive High Threshold, Reversible Population Replacement in Drosophila

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Buchman, ABI, Tobin; Marshall, John M.; Akbari, Omar S.; Hay, Bruce A.,  ACS Synthetic Biology,  7:1359-1370. 2018.
Replacement of wild insect populations with transgene-bearing individuals unable to transmit disease or survive under specific environmental conditions using gene drive provides a self-perpetuating method of disease prevention. Mechanisms that require the gene drive element and ...

Area-wide Integrated Pest Management

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Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO),  International Atomic Energy Agency,  2017.
Throughout history, people have had to fight insect pests to reduce diseases, minimize food losses, protect agricultural trade or simply to avoid the nuisance of stinging, biting and buzzing bugs. Insect pest control is usually implemented locally in individual fields or ...

Ethical issues associated with vector-borne diseases. Report of a WHO scoping meeting, Geneva, 23–24 February 2017

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Geneva: World Health Organization,  Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO, WHO Reference Number: WHO/HTM/NTD/VEM/2017. 2017.

Gene drives do not always increase in frequency: from genetic models to risk assessment

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de Jong, TJ,  Journal Fur Verbraucherschutz Und Lebensmittelsicherheit-Journal of Consumer Protection and Food Safety,  12:299-307. 2017.
Homing genes encode endonucleases that make a double stranded break in the DNA, destroying a target site on the homologous chromosome. When the cell repairs the break the homing allele is copied, converting a heterozygote into a homozygote. This results in gene drive (GD), an ...

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 ...

Site-specific selfish genes as tools for the control and genetic engineering of natural populations

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Burt, A,  Proceedings of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences,  270:921-928. 2003.
Site-specific selfish genes exploit host functions to copy themselves into a defined target DNA sequence, and include homing endonuclease genes, group II introns and some LINE-like transposable elements. If such genes can be engineered to target new host sequences, then they can ...

Stable transformation of the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, with the Hermes element from the housefly

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N. Jasinskiene, C. J. Coates, M. Q. Benedict, A. J. Cornel, C. S. Rafferty, A. A. James and F. H. Collins,  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America,  95:3743-3747. 1998.
The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the world's most important vector of yellow fever and dengue viruses, Work is currently in progress to control the transmission of these viruses by genetically altering the capacity of wild Ae, aegypti populations to support virus replication. The ...