In the largest European experiment to counter mosquito-borne diseases, Barcelona has released more than half a million male mosquitoes carrying a parasite that causes effective sterility.
The trials, which will continue until mid-November, aim to replicate results from Singapore that demonstrated the wolbachia parasite’s effectiveness in reducing dengue cases by 70%; wolbachia’s significant advantage is the ability to bypass regulations against gene editing, which — by sowing male populations with a so-called “lethal gene” that prevents viable offspring — has also shown promise in checking mosquito-borne illnesses.
As climate change expands the insect’s range, “the technology to eradicate mosquito-borne disease already exists,” Works in Progress wrote. “We just have to be brave enough to use it.”