Australian scientists to target disease-transmitting mosquitoes

CANBERRA, August 5 — Researchers from Australia’s national science agency have launched a three-year project to suppress mosquitoes that spread the Ross River virus.
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) announced on Thursday that it will work with the University of Melbourne, the University of Newcastle and NSW Department of Health on using genomic sequencing to suppress the Aedes vigilax mosquito.
The Aedes vigilax, one of the most widespread mosquitoes in Australia, originates in coastal wetlands and can fly many kilometers in a lifetime, spreading the Ross River virus through bites.
There are more than 4,000 cases of the Ross River virus reported in Australia every year, making it the country’s most common mosquito-borne disease.
While not fatal, the virus can be debilitating, causing flu-like symptoms including fever, rashes, muscle and joint pain and headache.
Brendan Trewin, a CSIRO research scientist, said by using genomic sequencing the research team would be able to determine relationships between Aedes vigilax mosquito populations in wetlands around Australia.
“Advances in technology mean we can sequence tiny amounts of DNA to track genetic differences of individual mosquito genomes and find distinct populations, a technique which has not been applied to this species before,” he said in a media release.
“This information will provide the foundation for the next phase of the project, which will assess the feasibility of controlling the Hunter Aedes vigilax population with Wolbachia, a natural bacteria which has been successfully used to suppress vector-borne disease in over 13 countries including here in Australia.
“If we’re successful, we could use this technique across other regions of Australia struggling with Aedes vigilax nuisance biting.” (Xinhua)