Mobile DNA element found in mosquito parasite has potential for infectious disease control
Wednesday, March 20, 2019 - 15:40
in Biology & Nature
Controlling mosquito-borne illnesses, such as Dengue or West Nile virus, has historically been difficult due to a lack of effective vaccines and concerns about the environmental impact of insecticides. Thus, scientists have turned to manipulating Wolbachia, a parasitic bacterium within mosquitoes, as a way to control the reproductive fitness of mosquito populations that transmit human disease.