tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Australian scientists may soon be at the forefront of the fight against the Zika virus in South America, using a biological control designed to combat dengue fever.
Professor Scott O'Neill, program director of Eliminate Dengue, a Melbourne-based, Australian-led international collaboration dedicated to wiping out dengue fever around the globe, said the organisation was in discussions with "governments in South America" about potentially adapting its work to combat the latest pandemic.
Professor O'Neill and his colleagues have pioneered a unique form of biological control against the virus that causes dengue fever. The virus is transmitted by mosquitoes, and each year infects an estimated 390 million people worldwide, including some in northern Australia.
The biological control involves releasing populations of mosquitoes that have been infected with a commonly occurring species of bacteria, called Wolbachia.
The bacteria effectively inoculate the mosquitoes against the dengue virus. The treated populations then out-compete their dengue-carrying rivals, greatly reducing their numbers. Small-scale trials of the strategy started in 2011, and have so far been carried out in Queensland, Vietnam, Indonesia and Brazil.
The largest trial so far kicked off in 2014, with the release of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes throughout Townsville.
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http://www.smh.com.au/national/zika...rchers-may-have-solution-20160203-gmkpx3.html
Professor Scott O'Neill, program director of Eliminate Dengue, a Melbourne-based, Australian-led international collaboration dedicated to wiping out dengue fever around the globe, said the organisation was in discussions with "governments in South America" about potentially adapting its work to combat the latest pandemic.
Professor O'Neill and his colleagues have pioneered a unique form of biological control against the virus that causes dengue fever. The virus is transmitted by mosquitoes, and each year infects an estimated 390 million people worldwide, including some in northern Australia.
The biological control involves releasing populations of mosquitoes that have been infected with a commonly occurring species of bacteria, called Wolbachia.
The bacteria effectively inoculate the mosquitoes against the dengue virus. The treated populations then out-compete their dengue-carrying rivals, greatly reducing their numbers. Small-scale trials of the strategy started in 2011, and have so far been carried out in Queensland, Vietnam, Indonesia and Brazil.
The largest trial so far kicked off in 2014, with the release of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes throughout Townsville.
...
http://www.smh.com.au/national/zika...rchers-may-have-solution-20160203-gmkpx3.html