Infecting Zika-carrying mosquitoes with bacteria 'BLOCKS their ability to transmit the virus', experts discover
- Infecting pests with Wolbachia bacteria blocks their ability to transmit Zika
- Bacteria is used in Australia, Brazil and Vietnam to combat dengue
- New findings suggest it could prove effective against Zika, a close relative of the dengue virus, scientists say
Infecting mosquitoes with a strain of bacteria could block the insects from transmitting the Zika virus, scientists have revealed.
The bacteria Wolbachia was found to significantly reduce the mosquitoes ability to pass on the virus, raising hopes of a new way to tackle the illness.
So far the bacteria has been released in several countries, including Australia, Brazil, Indonesia and Vietnam, as part of strategies to control dengue.
But, the new study suggests the method also works against Zika, a close relative of the dengue virus.
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Infecting mosquitoes with a strain of bacteria, Wolbachia, could block the insects' ability to transmit the Zika virus, scientists in Brazil have revealed
Zika has been linked with the birth defect microcephaly that has been sweeping through South and Central America and the Caribbean and making its way north to the United States.
In February the World Health Organization declared Zika a global health emergency.
The connection between Zika and microcephaly came to light last fall in Brazil, which has now confirmed more than 1,100 cases of microcephaly that it considers to be related to Zika infections in the mothers.
The new study, by researchers at Brazil's Oswaldo Cruz Foundation and published in Cell Host & Microbe, takes advantage of the naturally occurring strain of bacteria known as Wolbachia, which live in insect cells and are found in 60 per cent of common insects.
The method involves inserting the bacteria into mosquito eggs, which then pass the bacteria along to their offspring.
Senior author, Dr Luciano Moreira, of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Rio de Janerio, which is preparing to host the Olympics this summer, said: 'The idea has been to release Aedes mosquitoes with Wolbachia over a period of a few months, so they mate with Aedes mosquitoes ... and over time, replace the mosquito population.'
Dr Moreira is part of Eliminate Dengue, a non-profit that is testing the approach in 40 locations around the world.
Zika has been linked with the birth defect microcephaly that has been sweeping through South and Central America and the Caribbean and making its way north to the United States
In the Zika study, the team infected field mosquitoes and Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes with two strains of Zika currently circulating in Brazil.
After two weeks, mosquitoes carrying Wolbachia had fewer particles of the virus in their bodies and saliva - making them less able to infect humans with the virus.
'Wolbachia showed to be as effective on Zika as the most important dengue experiments we did,' Dr Moreira said.
Dr Jason Rasgon, an entomologist at Penn State University, said in some prior experiments Wolbachia has been shown to suppress transmission of one pathogen but enhance transmission of another.
The new finding removes that concern.
Moreira cautioned that the strategy is not 100 per cent effective and will not eliminate the virus, saying it should be used as part of an integrated control strategy.
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