Bacteria-based Mosquito Program Shields Brazilian City From Record Dengue Outbreak

Dengue has been a nationalist wellness problem successful nan tropical world for decades and 2024 saw a world dengue surge, pinch much than 14 cardinal cases and 10 1000 deaths reported worldwide – much than much double nan figures for dengue epidemics antecedently recorded successful 2023 and 2019.

In nan mediate of nan world's worst world dengue pandemic – nan metropolis of Niterói, Brazil, was efficaciously protected against nan deadly illness by an innovative programme that introduced a germs called Wolbachia into nan section mosquito population, reducing their expertise to transmit dengue and lowering nan complaint of dengue by almost 90 per cent.

According to nan authors, nan study findings "suggest that Wolbachia prevented astatine slightest three-quarters of nan dengue lawsuit load that whitethorn person different occurred successful Niterói successful 2024, corresponding to thousands of cases averted."

The study, led by nan World Mosquito Program and researchers astatine Monash University successful Melbourne, Australia, and published successful nan diary Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases, progressive nan merchandise of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes infected pinch nan wMel-strain Wolbachia germs passim Niterói, a metropolis of half a cardinal group successful Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. Within 5 years of nan introduction, nan mostly of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes successful Niterói carried Wolbachia, lowering nan incidence of dengue by 89 per cent.

Associate Professor Katherine Anders from Monash University and Professor Luciano Moreira, from nan World Mosquito Program and now CEO of Wolbito do Brasil, led nan study evaluating nan semipermanent nationalist wellness effect of nan Wolbachia deployments in Niterói.

Of peculiar value was nan uncovering that dengue incidence Niterói successful 2024 – which was a play of grounds precocious incidence of nan illness successful Brazil – was 374 per 100,000 population, substantially little than wide successful Rio de Janeiro authorities (1884 per 100,000) and nationwide successful Brazil (3157 per 100,000).

According to Associate Professor Anders, nan study adds to nan accumulating grounds that successful preamble of Wolbachia into mosquito populations is simply a sustainable involution that provides ongoing protection to communities. This sets it isolated from accepted ways of controlling nan mosquitoes that transmit dengue – specified arsenic nan usage of insecticide, which has led to guidance and is challenging to present successful analyzable municipality environments.

In July, Brazil has unveiled nan world's largest biofactory, Wolbito do Brasil, located successful Curibita, dedicated to breeding mosquitoes infected pinch Wolbachia bacteria, described by Professor Moreira arsenic "an innovative method poised to safeguard an estimated 140 cardinal group from dengue fever across nan federation successful nan coming years."