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Markets Public Health |
Public Health Dengue fever and chikungunya Dengue, a viral fever transmitted by the Aedes mosquito species, is a major public health challenge. According to latest estimates from CDC, IVI and WHO, 55% of the world’s population living in 124 countries may be at risk, and there are over 100 million cases every year. Chikungunya, another Aedes-borne viral infection, is also an increasing menace. For instance, an outbreak in 2005-06 affected a third of the population in the French Réunion (nearly 260,000 cases). With no specific medication or effective vaccine likely to be available in the near future, existing dengue and chikungunya control strategies rely on mosquito breeding site reduction and pesticides. Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) would be a valuable boost to integrated, community-based mosquito control programs but at present it has not been developed in part because the radiation for sterilization is damaging for the main vector, Aedes aegypti. To address this issue, Oxitec has developed male-sterile Aedes aegypti mosquitoes which do not need to be irradiated. These mosquitoes will mate with wild females thereby reducing population numbers and ultimately preventing the transmission of disease. Oxitec is also interested to apply its technology in developing male-sterile Aedes albopictus (another vector for dengue and chikungunya) and Anopheles species (which transmit malaria), and invites suitable proposals for funding and collaboration. Recognition for Oxitec’s work in dengue has come from the Grand Challenges in Global Health initiative (http://www.gcgh.org/Pages/default.aspx). Oxitec is part of a consortium that has been awarded US$20 million funding to develop strategies for dengue control, of which Oxitec will receive US$1 million each year for five years. Besides Oxford University, Oxitec collaborates with the other members of the dengue consortium, as well as with the Institut Pasteur in Paris, the Institute for Medical Research in Kuala Lumpur, and the Environmental Health Institute in Singapore. |
Further Reading Phuc et al (2007). Late-acting dominant lethal genetic systems and mosquito control. BMC Biology 2007, 5:11 Nimmo, D.D., Alphey, L. Meredith, J.M. and Eggleston, P (2006). High efficiency site-specific genetic engineering of the mosquito genome. Insect Molecular Biology, 15: 129-136. Olson, K.E., Alphey, L., Carlson, J. and James, A.A. (2006). Genetic approaches in Aedes aegypti for control of dengue: an overview. In “Bridging Laboratory and Field Research for Genetic Control of Disease Vectors”, eds Knols, B.G.J. and Louis, C. Springer ISBN: 1-4020-3800-3. Coleman, P.G. and Alphey, L. (2004). Genetic control of vector populations: an imminent prospect. Trop. Med. Int. Health, 9: 433-437. |
