Genetically modified sterile mosquitoes to fight dengue
Read more: Genetically modified sterile mosquitoes to fight dengue - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/Genetically-modified-sterile-mosquitoes-to-fight-dengue/articleshow/6917923.cms#ixzz15Cq5fYEh
LONDON: Scientists have created genetically sterile mosquitoes which use sex to kill off others in their species, and researchers say early field trials suggest the idea could help to halt the rapid spread of dengue fever.
Scientists from a firm called Oxitec in UK ran a small trial with the Mosquito Research and Control Unit (MRCU) in the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean. This found that releasing 3 million of the genetically altered bugs into a small area managed to cut the species population by 80% in six months.
Dengue fever, a disease which causes severe flu-like symptoms and can kill, is spread through the bite of infected female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. "The idea is based on releasing sterile males who will go out and mate with wild females," said Luke Alphey, Oxitec's chief scientist and co-founder. "One of the main advantages is that the males actively look for the females — that`s what they are programed to do."
Larvae are produced but most die before they hatch and the rest survive only a short time as mosquitoes. The World Health Organization estimates there are 50 million cases of dengue fever a year, of which 25,000 are fatal, and about 2.5 billion people — two-fifths of the world`s population — are at risk, mostly in Africa and southeast Asia.
There is no vaccine or treatment for dengue, and experts say innovative ways of dealing with its spread are urgently needed, since global incidence has risen sharply in recent decades.
French drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis is one of various groups seeking to develop dengue vaccines. It is testing its candidate in late stage clinical trials, but experts say it could be many years before a vaccine is on the market.
But while scientists believe the trial could lead to a breakthrough in stopping the disease, critics argue the mutant mosquitoes might wreak havoc on the environment.
Read more: Genetically modified sterile mosquitoes to fight dengue - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/Genetically-modified-sterile-mosquitoes-to-fight-dengue/articleshow/6917923.cms#ixzz15Cpwmlj0
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