AU: Wolbachia field trial to begin

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.couriermail.com.au/ipad/...-of-dengue-fever/story-fn6ck51p-1225980098072

This could be the end of dengue fever

* Suellen Hinde
* From: The Sunday Mail (Qld)
* January 02, 2011 12:00AM

A QUEENSLAND scientist is on the brink of eliminating the deadly global disease threat of dengue fever after more than 15 years of painstaking research.

The University of Queensland's Professor Scott O'Neill will start his world-first field trials to wipe out the mosquito-borne disease in far north Queensland this week.

The project, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Global Health Program, hopes to control dengue by introducing a bacteria to mosquitoes that stops them passing on the virus to humans.

The bacteria, known as Wolbachia, has a powerful ability to invade natural populations of insects and alter their reproduction and lifespan...

 

[Shiloh]

Re: AU: Wolbachia field trial to begin

Source: http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2011/01/03/142571_local-news.html

Cairns testing ground for world-first dengue trial

Daniel Bateman
Monday, January 3, 2011
? The Cairns Post

ABOUT 6000 dengue mosquitoes bred in a laboratory will be released as part of a world-first science experiment starting in Cairns tomorrow.

Each of the mosquitoes has been infected with the Wolbachia bacteria in an attempt to control the spread of dengue fever.

They will be released from tomorrow at Yorkeys Knob and Gordonvale over the next 12 weeks...

The bacteria has proven to dramatically reduce the dengue mosquitoes? 30-day lifespan, thus destroying their ability to transmit the dengue virus...