Gene-hacked ‘toxic mosquitoes’ created to have venomous semen could poison disease-spreading females through mating
GENETICALLY engineered “toxic male” mosquitoes could help kill off disease-spreading females.
Scientists say the gene-hacked male insects can cull female numbers by mating with venomous semen.
Until now, most “modified mosquito” research has focused on creating males that mate with wild females and cause them to only create male young or stop them from producing offspring entirely.
But this new research shows that “toxic males” that shorten the lifespan of female mosquitoes could also be effective.
It’s only the females of mosquito species like Aedes aegypti and Anopheles gambiae that actually bite humans.
And if they do bite, they risk transmitting deadly diseases like malaria, dengue fever, Zika, chikungunya disease, and yellow fever.
Scientists say insects cause hundreds of thousands of deaths and “millions of infections” each year – costing billions.
With this new method, populations of biting females could be “immediately reduced”.
It would work by genetically engineering the male insects to produce venom proteins in their semen.
These proteins would be transferred during mating, which would “significantly reduce female lifespan and their ability to spread disease”.
“As we’ve learned from Covid-19, reducing the spread of these diseases as quickly as possible is important to prevent epidemics,” said Sam Beach of Macquarie University, lead author on the Nature study.
“By targeting female mosquitoes themselves rather than their offspring, TMT is the first biocontrol technology that could work as quickly as pesticides without also harming beneficial species.”
Researchers tested the theory with fruit flies.
And they found that females that had mated with “toxic males” had their lifespans shortened by 37-64%.
They also ran a computer simulation to see if it work for mosquitoes.
And the research showed that introducing “toxic males” to the Aedes aegypti could reduce blood-feeding rates by 40-60%.
MOSQUITOES – THE FACTS
Here's what you need to know...
- Only female mosquitoes bite humans, they need the blood to help their eggs develop.
- There are more than 3,500 species of mosquitoes in the world.
- Mosquito is Spanish for “little fly”.
- The insect can drink up to three times its weight in blood.
- The average mosquito lifespan is less than 2 months long.
- They spend their first 10 days alive in water.
- The tiny creatures can smell human breath.
- They are picky about the smell of your sweat.
- Mosquitoes have been around since the Jurassic period.
- They do not spread HIV because the virus is digested in their stomachs
Now scientists hope to test the theory for real and see if it actually works.
“We still need to implement it in mosquitoes,” said Associate Professor Maciej Maselko.
“And conduct rigorous safety testing to ensure there are no risks to humans or other non-target species.”
The scientists say that the venoms are carefully selected so that they’re not toxic to mammals.
And they’ve designed the venoms to avoid causing harm when consumed by other insects deemed “beneficial”.
“This innovative solution could transform how we manage pests, offering hope for healthier communities and a more sustainable future,” said Beach.