An organisation that planned to sell "friendly" mosquitoes to reduce the spread of diseases like dengue withdraws its licence application after backlash from scientists and health experts.

Wolbachia is a ubiquitous endosymbiont in arthropods that is maternally transmitted and affects host reproduction in various ways. Among these, skewing the host sex ratio towards females, either by ki...

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The site lists consultations that are run by the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. On this site you can find, share or take part in consultations.

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Abstract. Infection with endosymbionts can cause changes in the phenotype of their insect hosts, particularly for life-history traits such as fecundity and

Background Releases of Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti are being used to effectively control diseases caused by arboviruses, such as dengue. A well-balanced larval diet is essential for producing Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes with optimal fitness for release. Methods In this study, four diets with varying protein-to-carbohydrate ratios were tested with three Ae. aegypti lines (carrying the wAlbB, wMelM Wolbachia infections or uninfected) to identify optimal diets for larval rearing on the basis of diet allocations ranging from 0.4 to 3.2 mg/larva/day. The diets were selected on the basis of a review of existing literature and are characterized by progressively increasing protein and decreasing carbohydrate content: diet 1 (Pd) was based on plant-based protein (low protein and high carbohydrate), diet 2 (Kd) was based on animal-based protein (moderate protein and high carbohydrate), diet 3 (Fd) involved Hikari fish food (high protein and moderate carbohydrate), and diet 4 (IAEA) followed a widely used very-high-protein and low-carbohydrate diet developed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The optimal concentration for each diet was determined using a fitness index that incorporated pupation success, fecundity, hatch proportion and development time. Results The optimal dietary allocations for diets 1–4 were 1.6, 1.2, 1.2 and 0.8 mg/larva/day, respectively, regardless of Wolbachia status. There was a consistent significant positive relationship between female wing length and fecundity in wAlbB (r2 = 0.881), wMelM (r2 = 0.329), and uninfected (r2 = 0.886) mosquitoes. Diet 3 (Fd) at optimal food allocation reduced a fitness cost commonly associated with the wAlbB line compared with the uninfected line when provided at the optimal concentration. The wMelM line showed a persistently low fecundity regardless of diet and concentration. Conclusions These findings highlight the importance of an appropriate larval diet and dietary allocations in optimizing mosquito fitness for Wolbachia-based vector control programs. Further research into dietary composition, gut microbial interactions and Wolbachia associations could refine larval nutrition strategies, enhancing the effectiveness of mass-rearing for release programs. Graphical abstract

The release of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes transinfected with the virus-inhibiting Wolbachia bacterium has the potential to reduce the burden caused by dengue virus (DENV). However, the robustness of thi...

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Scientific Reports - Discovery and description of a novel mode of oviposition in the mosquito genus Culex

Author summary In Rio de Janeiro, efforts to control diseases like dengue and chikungunya involve a myriad of approaches, including targeting breeding sites, insecticide application, engaging communit...

The Aedes aegypti mosquito is the primary global vector for arboviruses such as dengue, Zika, and chikungunya. The surge in arbovirus incidence poses an urgent

Dengue virus transmission by Ae. aegypti mosquitoes poses a significant public health threat, necessitating innovative control strategies. Here, the authors demonstrate that, while successive blood fe...

Nature Communications - Dengue virus transmission by Ae. aegypti mosquitoes poses a significant public health threat, necessitating innovative control strategies. Here, the authors demonstrate...

Insects' upper thermal limits for survival, activity, and fertility have been used to assess vulnerability to climate change, yet heritable endosymbionts - present in over 70% of insect species - are ...

Ready to make a difference in vector biology research? We are looking for a dedicated and enthusiastic researcher to join an exciting BBSRC-funded project exploring the fascinating interactions betwee...