Friendly™ Aedes albopictus

The Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, is an invasive mosquito species that is a vector of several arboviruses, including dengue, chikungunya and Zika. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 100 million people each year suffer from dengue – a debilitating and sometimes fatal disease also known as ‘break-bone fever’. Originating from Southeast Asia, this highly invasive species has relentlessly increased its geographic distribution to include Europe, North and South America, Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean. Conventional control methods have so far failed to control Aedes albopictus adequately. Oxitec’s technology presents a novel genetics-based aid towards efficient control of this mosquito.

OUR SOLUTION

Oxitec’s Friendly™ insects offer a new approach to managing pest insects of public health concern. Friendly™ insects carry a self-limiting gene that prevents female offspring from surviving, allowing for male-only production. After releases of Friendly™ males into the field, which find and mate with invasive pest female mosquitoes, reduction of the target population is achieved as the female offspring of these encounters cannot survive. Male progeny survive, carrying a copy of the self-limiting gene; in turn, these males are able to pass on the self-limiting gene to half of their offspring, of which female carriers of the gene cannot survive. The self-limiting gene can thereby persist but declines over time, offering potentially multiple but still self-limiting generations of suppression for every Oxitec Friendly™ male insect released.

FACTSHEET

Where is Aedes albopictus native?

Aedes albopictus is invasive in most of its current range, after spreading from its native Southeast Asia.

How has it spread across the world?

The eggs of Aedes albopictus are able to remain dormant in dry conditions for several months, then hatching when it rains. Its worldwide expansion has mostly been facilitated by international movement of people and goods, such as via international trade of tires and shipments of the Asian plant “lucky bamboo”, inadvertently disseminating dormant eggs and helping the mosquito colonize new regions.

What makes Aedes albopictus such a dangerous disease vector?

This mosquito has become a biting nuisance in many communities as it closely associates with humans and typically feeds in the daytime, reducing the effectiveness of bed-nets in protecting people against biting female Aedes albopictus. When blood feeding, the female Aedes albopictus mosquito is able to transmit several viral diseases including dengue, Zika, chikungunya, West Nile, and Japanese encephalitis.