The mosquitoes on a mission
Google sister company Debug to release 20 million mosquitoes infected with bacteria to stop wild bugs reproducing in Fresno experiment
It could be the plot of a post-apocalyptic science fiction film – a tech firm is set to release 20 million bacteria-filled mosquitoes in the heart of California. But, the experts spearheading the effort say it could finally provide a way to take on the ‘deadliest animal in the world,’ preventing mosquito-borne illnesses and ultimately saving lives.
Unlike other modern approaches to eradicate ‘bad bugs,’ the technique launched today by Verily’s Debug project doesn’t rely on genetic engineering; instead, it uses a naturally occurring bacteria that causes them to produce dud eggs.
Debug Fresno will be the first field study in the United States to employ this control method, which effectively renders the ‘bad bugs’ sterile.
The effort is led by Verily Life Sciences, an offshoot of Google’s parent company Alphabet Inc, in collaboration with MosquitoMate and Fresno County’s Consolidated Mosquito Abatement District.’
The so-called ‘good bugs’ are infected with the naturally-occurring bacteria called Wolbachia to target the invasive Aedes aegypti mosquito. This species is known to carry an array of potentially deadly diseases such as Zika, dengue, and chikungunya. When released across Fresno to mate with the wild populations, these sterile males and wild females will not be able to successfully breed. ‘You separate the males, because male mosqui- toes can’t bite,’ according to a video explaining the project.
‘Then when you release those males into the wild, they find bad bugs to mate with. But, their eggs don’t hatch because of the bacteria in the good bug. So the next generation gets smaller, and smaller, and smaller, until all of the bugs are practically gone.’
Mosquitoes are the deadliest animal in the world, making millions of people sick each year, and costing hundreds of thousands of lives. The project launched on July 14, and will take place over 20 weeks in two 300-acre neighbourhoods.
The team will keep track of population density and egg hatching among the species, and compare it with the numbers from two control neighbourhoods. They expect to see a ‘steep decline,’ in the targeted areas.
Verily isn’t the only company hoping to use modern techniques to tackle the pests. Several firms are hoping to use robotics and artificial intelligence to aid their efforts, in hopes to stop the spread of deadly diseases around the world.
Microsoft is testing a ‘smart trap’ in Texas that can isolate and capture Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, according to Reuters. It’s hoped that this will ultimately allow entomologists to study them first-hand, to develop better methods to predict outbreaks.
Following the 2015 Zika epidemic in Brazil, instances of the infection have finally dropped down to smaller numbers. But, the mosquitoes that transmit the virus have become more prevalent throughout the Americas, including much of the southern US.
(© Daily Mail, London)
Then when you release those males into the wild, they find bad bugs to mate with. But, their eggs don’t hatch because of the bacteria in the good bug