Courtesy of the Marine Biological Laboratory.
WOODS HOLE – Controlling mosquito-borne illnesses has been difficult due to a lack of effective vaccines and concerns about insecticides so scientists have turned to manipulating bacteria within the mosquitoes as a way to control the reproductive fitness of populations that transmit human disease.
An international team of scientists from the Marine Biological Laboratory, in Woods Hole, and the University of Chicago has identified a new mobile DNA element in the bacteria which may contribute to improved control strategies for mosquito vectors of disease.
The mobile DNA can transfer from one cell to another and can have great implications for the fitness and evolution of a microbial species.
The mobile genetic elements that can spread through different bacteria cells and across the insect population hold promise for controlling mosquito populations that may carry disease.
The bacteria is transmitted from mother to offspring and can influence the reproductive behavior of its mosquito host.
The bacteria can modify sperm so if an infected male mates with an uninfected female, or one with a different bacteria strain, embryos cannot develop.
About CapeCod.com NewsCenter
