Scientists fight dengue fever with mosquitoes

"Miraculous" mosquito hack cuts dengue by 77% - 21st June 2021

The number of dengue fever cases in the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta has plummeted by 77% following the trial of a revolutionary preventative technique that hacks the bodies of the mosquitoes carrying it.

By infecting the blood-sucking insects with a type of bacteria, it impedes the virus's ability to multiply. This innovative method is now set to be rolled out in other locations. The World Mosquito Programme has high hopes that it may be the solution to a virus which has become increasingly prevalent over the past five decades.

While fairly obscure in the 1970s, cases of dengue have soared in recent years with up to 400 million infections annually. Dubbed the "break-bone fever" for the agonising bone and muscle pain it inflicts, the virus has been known to overwhelm hospitals during explosive outbreaks.

During the trial, five million mosquito eggs were infected with Wolbachia bacteria, characterised as "naturally miraculous" by Dr Kate Anders, one of the researchers. While leaving the mosquito itself unaffected, Wolbachia resides in the same part of the mosquito's body as the dengue virus. As the bacteria competes for the same resources, it hinders the disease's reproduction, meaning that humans bitten by the mosquitoes are far less likely to develop the disease.

Spectacularly manipulative, Wolbachia can alter the fertility of its host to ensure it is passed on to the next generation of mosquitoes: once the bacteria has been established, it should stick around a long time, providing continued protection against dengue infection.

This is in sharp contrast to other control methods - such as insecticides or releasing large numbers of sterile male mosquitoes - which need to be continuously maintained.

Released every two weeks via buckets of water, the infected eggs built up a significant population of Wolbachia carrying mosquitoes over a nine month period. The trial saw Yogyakarta record 77% fewer cases of dengue and hospitalisations fell by 86%.

Hailing the technique for its "exciting potential", Boston University Professor of Global Health and Medicine David Hamer pointed out the approach could also combat Zika, yellow fever, chikungunya and other mosquito borne diseases.