CSIRO in mosquito/dengue initiative

Health & Leisure
Wednesday, 22 January 2020

Scientists from Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, and the University of California San Diego have engineered the first breed of genetically modified mosquitoes resistant to spreading all fourtypes of the dengue virus.
Dengue infects more than 390 million people every year.


Typical symptoms include severe fever, headaches and muscle aches, with severe forms of the disease leading to haemorrhage, shock and even death.

CSIRO senior research scientist doctor Prasad Paradkar said the dengue virus was causing an epidemic in tropical and subtropical regions world wide, with large outbreaks currently occurring inBangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Philippines.

“There is a pressing global demand for effective strategies to control the mosquitoes that spread the dengue virus, as there are currently no known treatments and the vaccine that is available is onlypartially effective,” said Paradkar.

“In this study we used recent advances in genetic engineering technologies to successfully genetically modify a mosquito, the Aedes aegypti, with reduced ability to acquire and transmit the dengue virus.

“This is the first engineered approach that targets all four dengue types, which is crucial for effective disease suppression.

“Mosquito-transmitted viruses are expected to climb over the coming years, which is why CSIRO is focused on developing new ways to help solve this global challenge.”

CSIRO in mosquito/dengue initiative

Health & Leisure
Wednesday, 22 January 2020

Scientists from Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, and the University of California San Diego have engineered the first breed of genetically modified mosquitoes resistant to spreading all fourtypes of the dengue virus.
Dengue infects more than 390 million people every year.


Typical symptoms include severe fever, headaches and muscle aches, with severe forms of the disease leading to haemorrhage, shock and even death.

CSIRO senior research scientist doctor Prasad Paradkar said the dengue virus was causing an epidemic in tropical and subtropical regions world wide, with large outbreaks currently occurring inBangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Philippines.

“There is a pressing global demand for effective strategies to control the mosquitoes that spread the dengue virus, as there are currently no known treatments and the vaccine that is available is onlypartially effective,” said Paradkar.

“In this study we used recent advances in genetic engineering technologies to successfully genetically modify a mosquito, the Aedes aegypti, with reduced ability to acquire and transmit the dengue virus.

“This is the first engineered approach that targets all four dengue types, which is crucial for effective disease suppression.

“Mosquito-transmitted viruses are expected to climb over the coming years, which is why CSIRO is focused on developing new ways to help solve this global challenge.”