Transplant the gene of 'death' to kill mosquitoes

Students at Ben Gurion University (southern Israel) have developed a biological method that uses genetically modified bacteria to kill mosquitoes.

Mosquitoes carrying the virus can transmit diseases to humans with high mortality rates, such as malaria, dengue fever, Zika fever, yellow fever, chikungunya, West Nile fever and Japanese encephalitis.

Students created the genes of the "deadly" bacteria and transplanted into male mosquitoes then released them into the outside environment.

Students at Ben Gurion University have been trying to find ways to limit the population growth of insects that spawn from stagnant ponds or puddles, and especially where current disease control methods exist. because hard to reach.

In the study, the students created the genes of the "deadly" bacteria and implanted these "death" genes into male mosquitoes, then released the mosquitoes to the outside environment. These bacteria then spread to female mosquitoes and, due to their genetically modified nature, they also pass to the mosquito larvae. Infected mosquito larvae will die immediately due to bacterial action.

Students have chosen to implant bacteria only in male mosquitoes, because most countries around the world prohibit releasing female mosquitoes into the natural environment because they can cause dangerous bites to humans.

The study also found that the healthy larvae of the mosquito hatched, then ate the dead larvae contaminated with the bacteria, whereby they also infected the bacteria and died.

The experiments were conducted by students against Aedes Aegypti and BTI bacteria - special bacteria that can secrete a toxin that only kills mosquito larvae.