"An international team of scientists have reported an effective and environmentally sustainable way to block the transmission of mosquito-borne dengue virus, in trials carried out in Malaysia.
Using a strain of the bacteria Wolbachia, which inhibit mosquitoes from transmitting viruses to humans, researchers at the Universities of Melbourne and Glasgow and the Institute for Medical Research in Malaysia were able to successfully reduce cases of dengue at sites in Kuala Lumpur.
Professor Hoffmann, from Melbourne University’s Bio21 Institute, said the findings could make a difference to a number of countries who have dengue.
“This study provides us with a new Wolbachia strain for field release and highlights disease impact within a complex urban setting where dengue incidence rates are high,” he said. “The intervention succeeded despite ongoing pesticide applications and other challenges that can make it hard for the Wolbachia to become established. The approach holds promise not only in Malaysia but also in other countries.”
Each year there are around 90 million symptomatic cases of dengue, with severe disease in around 1 per cent of cases, including life-threatening haemorrhage or shock syndrome. In Malaysia alone, over 100,000 dengue cases were reported in 2016, with an annual cost estimated at $US175 million."
Read more at:
https://about.unimelb.edu.au/newsroom/news/2019/november/trials-promise-good-news-for-countries-with-dengue-and-zika-virus
Using a strain of the bacteria Wolbachia, which inhibit mosquitoes from transmitting viruses to humans, researchers at the Universities of Melbourne and Glasgow and the Institute for Medical Research in Malaysia were able to successfully reduce cases of dengue at sites in Kuala Lumpur.
Professor Hoffmann, from Melbourne University’s Bio21 Institute, said the findings could make a difference to a number of countries who have dengue.
“This study provides us with a new Wolbachia strain for field release and highlights disease impact within a complex urban setting where dengue incidence rates are high,” he said. “The intervention succeeded despite ongoing pesticide applications and other challenges that can make it hard for the Wolbachia to become established. The approach holds promise not only in Malaysia but also in other countries.”
Each year there are around 90 million symptomatic cases of dengue, with severe disease in around 1 per cent of cases, including life-threatening haemorrhage or shock syndrome. In Malaysia alone, over 100,000 dengue cases were reported in 2016, with an annual cost estimated at $US175 million."
Read more at:
https://about.unimelb.edu.au/newsroom/news/2019/november/trials-promise-good-news-for-countries-with-dengue-and-zika-virus
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