Controlling vector-borne diseases by releasing modified mosquitoes

Heather A. Flores, Scott L. O'Neill

    Research output: Contribution to journalReview ArticleResearchpeer-review

    225 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Aedes mosquito-transmitted diseases, such as dengue, Zika and chikungunya, are becoming major global health emergencies while old threats, such as yellow fever, are re-emerging. Traditional control methods, which have focused on reducing mosquito populations through the application of insecticides or preventing breeding through removal of larval habitat, are largely ineffective, as evidenced by the increasing global disease burden. Here, we review novel mosquito population reduction and population modification approaches with a focus on control methods based on the release of mosquitoes, including the release of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes and strategies to genetically modify the vector, that are currently under development and have the potential to contribute to a reversal of the current alarming disease trends.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)508-518
    Number of pages11
    JournalNature Reviews Microbiology
    Volume16
    Issue number8
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Aug 2018

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