Transmission electron microscopy image of the symbiotic bacterium ‘Wolbachia’ (marked W), which lives inside the cells of many insect species. It was found that when Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which carry pathogenic viruses, are infected with Wolbachia bacteria, virus proliferation is inhibited, resulting in a decrease in the mosquito’s ability to transmit the virus. Provided by World Mosquito Program (WMP)
Oh Cheol-woo | Lecturer at Hanbat National University (Science and Technology)
Defeat viruses with bacteria. A few days ago, ‘Nature’, in an article predicting notable scientific news in the new year, cited the ‘Wolbachia mosquito’ production plant project to be built in Brazil as one of interest. Nature said the mosquito production plant “will raise up to 5 billion Wolbachia mosquitoes each year over the next 10 years.” What is it about Wolbachia mosquitoes that attracts so much attention? Wolbachia (English pronunciation ‘Olbachia’) is the name of a symbiotic bacterium that lives inside insect cells. However, as it was discovered that this bacterium suppresses the proliferation of viruses within cells, it has emerged as an ally in the fight against new infectious diseases over the past 10 years. (The Hankyoreh, January 22, 2020) Mosquitoes that carry dengue fever, Zika, and chikungunya viruses can be seen. This is because if infected with Bachia and released, mosquitoes in the wild will naturally change into Wolbachia mosquitoes through mating, resulting in a reduction in viral infections. The goal of this project is to gradually replace wild virus-borne Aedes aegypti mosquitoes with Wolbachia mosquitoes in Brazil, which is suffering from viral infectious diseases. Until such a large-scale project was implemented, the World Mosquito Program (WMP), a non-profit organization, played a significant role. This organization, founded by Scott O’Neill, a professor at Monash University in Australia who first discovered Wolbachia’s ability to suppress viruses in 2008, has released Wolbachia mosquitoes in Australia, Vietnam, Colombia, Brazil, Indonesia, etc. and has confirmed their effectiveness in reducing infectious diseases. Outdoor testing continued. The results of the field test attracted great interest. A trial conducted in Indonesia reported in 2020 that the incidence of dengue fever was reduced by 77%. Last October, results were announced showing that dengue fever cases have decreased by more than 90% since 2015, when Wolbachia mosquitoes were released in Colombia. The effect varied depending on local conditions. Test results from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, announced last year showed that the reduction rate was only 38%. The Brazilian Wolbachia mosquito production plant is expected to be the first full-scale dengue fever eradication project after testing over the past 10 years. The reason why Wolbachia mosquitoes are attracting attention is because of expectations that this method can be a safe method to combat viral infectious diseases. The World Mosquito Program emphasizes that compared to methods such as mass spraying of pesticides or releasing sterile mosquitoes using radiation and genetic modification, Wolbachia mosquitoes are a safe and natural method for both humans and natural ecosystems. The Wolbachia mosquito can replace the virus-borne mosquito population through natural breeding without eliminating the mosquito species itself. Wolbachia mosquitoes are not a complete panacea. In field trials, it showed significant effectiveness against the dengue virus, but not against other viruses such as Zika or chikungunya. Research to find new Wolbachia varieties continues. In a different way from the World Mosquito Program, technology to reduce the mosquito population by causing sterility with Wolbachia mosquitoes is also being researched and developed. A variety of public health technologies are being developed to repel mosquitoes by attracting a microbial ally called Wolbachia.
2023-12-26 09:45:12
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