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January 27, 2021 // -- In 2016, the World Health Organization called the Zika virus epidemic an "international public health emergency" because the virus causes congenital defects in pregnant women in addition to neurological problems.
since then, researchers have adopted different strategies to control the spread of the Zika virus, which is transmitted to humans through the bites of female mosquitoes.
(Photo: www.pixabay.com) A method to prevent the spread of the Zika virus has been approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that will release more than 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes to Florida reefs in 2021 and 2022.
these "suicide mosquitoes" are genetically modified to produce offspring, or their offspring cannot survive into adulthood, thus losing the ability to transmit disease.
, however, removing future generations of mosquitoes can lead to environmental complications, such as the potential to disrupt the food chain.
a new study from the University of Missouri offers an alternative: genetically modifiing mosquitoes to fully fight the Zika virus.
Franz, an associate professor at the MU School of Veterinary Medicine, worked with researchers at Colorado State University using CRISPR gene editing technology to create mosquitoes where the Zika virus cannot replicate in its body and therefore cannot infect humans by biting people.
Franz said: "We have triggered an immune pathway to identify and destroy the RNA genome of the Zika virus by inserting artificial genes into their genomes.
by developing these virus-resistant mosquitoes, the chain of disease transmission is blocked and therefore no longer possible to spread to humans.
" Franz added that the genetic modification is inheritable, so future generations of mosquitoes will also be resistant to the Zika virus.
are interested in strategies to control insect vectors, such as mosquitoes, which transmit viruses that affect human health," said Frazz.
good news if we can find a way to stop the spread of pathogens that have a negative impact on humans.
we have demonstrated that this is a viable option for genetically modifiing mosquitoes in a laboratory environment.
() Source: Genetically-modified mosquitoes key to stopping Zika virus spread Original source: Adeline E. Williams et al, The Antiviral Small-Interfering RNA Pathway Induces Zika Virus Resistance in Transgenic Aedes aegypti, Viruses (2020). DOI: 10.3390/v12111231