91av

Health

Modified mosquitoes wipe out whole city’s dengue for the first time

By Alice Klein

2 August 2018

91av. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

Local residents helped release the mosquitoes

World Mosquito Program

Dengue virus has effectively been wiped out in Townsville, Australia, following the release of anti-dengue mosquitoes in 2014.

The Queensland city has recorded zero cases of locally-transmitted dengue in the four years since the modified mosquitoes were released, compared to 54 cases in the previous four years.

The trial represents the first successful use of modified mosquitoes to eliminate a mosquito-borne virus across a whole city.

at Monash University and his colleagues infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes with naturally-occurring Wolbachia bacteria, which hamper the mosquitoes from transmitting the dengue…

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. We'll also keep you up to date with 91av events and special offers.

Sign up

To continue reading, today with our introductory offers

or

Existing subscribers

Sign in to your account
Piano Exit Overlay Banner Mobile Piano Exit Overlay Banner Desktop