Mosquitoes are nasty creatures that not only suck human blood, make human skin itchy, but also are vectors of many infectious diseases. According to studies, 83% of the world's diseases such as malaria, dengue fever and Zika virus are transmitted by mosquitoes. South American countries such as Brazil are the hardest hit by mosquitoes, where up to 2.3 million people die each year from mosquito-borne diseases. For such a hateful creature, the Brazilian government has not only not taken measures to kill mosquitoes, but plans to raise 5 billion mosquitoes in captivity and release them into nature.
The 5 billion mosquitoes cultivated by the Brazilian government this time are not ordinary mosquitoes, but mosquitoes that have been genetically modified to be infected with Wolbachia. According to the internationally renowned academic journal "Nature", the World Mosquito Project and Brazil's public scientific research institutions plan to build a super mosquito factory, cultivate 5 billion genetically modified mosquitoes every year and release them into nature, through this mutant mosquito to protect humans from infectious diseases. The plant will officially start operations in 2024.
It is understood that the World Mosquito Program (WMP) is a non-profit organization dedicated to controlling infectious disease vectors - mosquitoes and their ability to transmit viruses through ecological methods. The organization uses gene-editing technology to introduce a commensal bacterium called Wolbachia into mosquitoes, making it impossible for these mosquitoes to carry and transmit the virus, thereby stopping the spread of many infectious diseases. The World Mosquito Program is already working in several countries around the world and working with local governments and communities to promote this technology to protect public health.
Why can genetically modified mosquitoes infected with Wolbachia reduce the spread of infectious diseases? Wolbachia is a common intracellular symbiotic bacterium found in many arthropods in nature, including many different species of mosquitoes. This bacterium can infect male and female mosquitoes and multiply rapidly in their bodies. When mosquitoes carrying Wolbachia mate with uninfected mosquitoes, because Wolbachia prevents the development of eggs, the eggs laid by female mosquitoes will not be able to hatch larvae, eventually reducing or even extincting the mosquito population.
In addition to sterilizing mosquitoes, Wolbachia also prevents mosquitoes from spreading the virus. After Wolbachia invades the mosquito, it can cause an immune response in the mosquito's body, thereby preventing other viruses from invading the mosquito, so the mosquito infected with Wolbachia no longer has the ability to transmit the virus. This means that as long as Wolbachia can be successfully introduced into mosquitoes, the spread of many infectious diseases can be effectively controlled.
Using Wolbachia technology to stop mosquitoes from transmitting diseases has two significant advantages. First of all, this technology is environmentally friendly and non-toxic. Compared to chemical and biological pesticides, Wolbachia technology does not pollute the environment, and its mechanism of action is consistent with the physiological characteristics of mosquitoes, which does not affect the health of humans and other animals.
Second, Wolbachia technology has long-term effects. When mosquitoes carrying Wolbachia are released into the wild, they multiply and spread Wolbachia on their own, creating a self-sustaining ecosystem that is therefore significantly more effective than ordinary insecticides.
However, the application of this technology to disease prevention and control is highly controversial. On the one hand, any living thing on Earth is an important link in the ecological chain, even annoying mosquitoes. This technology has the risk of causing mosquitoes to become extinct and is not conducive to the protection of the earth's biodiversity. On the other hand, many experts have also warned that the large-scale release of genetically modified organisms into nature makes it difficult to estimate whether they will have a enhancing effect with some unknown germs and lead to the emergence of "super mosquitoes".
In short, Wolbachia technology is an emerging mosquito control technology that can effectively control the spread of many infectious diseases while being relatively harmless to humans, but its impact on ecosystems needs further evaluation and research. In the future, with the development of science and technology, we look forward to the emergence of more advanced, efficient and safe epidemic prevention methods, so as to make greater contributions to human health and public health.
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