Brazil: Transgenic Mosquito to Join War on Zika Virus
A genetically modified mosquito has helped reduce the proliferation of mosquitoes spreading Zika and other dangerous viruses in Brazil, its developers said in January 2016.
The self-limiting strain of the Aedes aegypti mosquito was developed by Oxitec, the United Kingdom-subsidiary of U.S. synthetic biology company Intrexon. The male mosquitoes are modified so their offspring die before reaching adulthood and reproducing.
Oxitec, which produces the mosquitoes in Campinas, Brazil, announced it will build a second facility in nearby Piracicaba, Sao Paulo state.
Oxitec said its proprietary OX513A mosquito succeeded in reducing wild larvae of the Aedes mosquito by 82 percent in a neighborhood of Piracicaba, where 25 million of the transgenic insects were released between April and November 2015. The Aedes vector also carries the dengue virus. Authorities reported a big drop in dengue cases in the area.
“This is a powerful and versatile tool that can dramatically reduce the levels of infestation, which is the core of Brazil’s prevention strategy right now,” said Glen Slade, Oxitec’s business development director in Brazil.
Zika virus, first detected in Africa in the 1940s, was unknown in the Americas until 2015 when it appeared in northeastern Brazil. The virus has quickly spread through Latin America.
Brazilian health authorities have linked the Zika outbreak to a surge in the number of babies born with unusually small heads, a damaging neurological condition called microcephaly. There is no vaccine or treatment for Zika, which causes mild fever and rash.
