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    Scientists have created a new type of mosquito that can help fight dengue fever. The insects have been called suicide mosquitoes, deadend bugs and even Frankenskeeters. Panama is one of the countries that may use them to try to get rid of mosquitoes that carry the disease.

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    Scientists have created a new type of mosquito that can help fight dengue fever. The insects have been called suicide mosquitoes, deadend bugs and even Frankenskeeters. Panama is one of the countries that may use them to try to get rid of mosquitoes that carry the disease.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    1K views2 pages

    Mosquitodeathgene

    Uploaded by

    api-110789702
    Scientists have created a new type of mosquito that can help fight dengue fever. The insects have been called suicide mosquitoes, deadend bugs and even Frankenskeeters. Panama is one of the countries that may use them to try to get rid of mosquitoes that carry the disease.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    of 2

    Sendingdenguemosquitoesintoadeadend

    ByMcClatchyForeignStaff,adaptedbyNewselastaff

    10.17.13

    PANAMACITYScientistshavecreatedanewtypeofmosquito.Theythinkitcanhelpfighta
    deadlydiseasecalleddenguefever.
    Theinsectshavebeencalledsuicidemosquitoes,deadendbugsandevenFrankenskeeters.
    Panamaisoneofthecountriesthatmayusethemtotrytogetridofmosquitoesthatcarrytheterrible
    disease.Othercountriesarealsodoingtests.
    Themosquitothatcarriesthedenguevirushasspreadto100countries.Itcouldreach2.5billion
    people.Notallofthemwouldgetthedisease.But50millionto100millionpeopledoeachyear,
    healthofficialssay.About25,000die.
    Peoplewiththediseasegetdehydratedveryfast."Inamatterofhours,thecasescangrowmore
    complicated,saidDr.CarlosGalvez.HeisahealthofficialinPanama.

    AMosquitoCalledOX513A...
    ThishasbeenaparticularlybadyearfordengueintheWesternhalfoftheworld.Officialssaythere
    havebeen1.4millioncases.
    PanamahasoneofthebestpublichealthsystemsinLatinAmerica.YetevenPanamastruggleswith
    atypeofmosquitoknownasAedesaegypti.ThemosquitooriginallycamefromNorthAfrica.Itisthe
    maincarrierofthedenguevirus.
    Teamspatrolthestreetssprayingchemicalsinaconstantbattleagainstthemosquito.The
    governmentremindsPanamanianstodrainanywaterfromanywhereitmaycollect.Buckets,
    flowerpotsandoldtiresareperfectplacesformosquitoestolayeggs.
    Beforelong,publichealthofficialsmayhaveanewtool.ABritishcompanycalledOxitecLtd.hasa
    mosquitocalledOX513A.Themosquito'sgeneshavebeenchanged.Genesarethebuildingblocks
    ofalivingthing.Forexample,inpeople,genesdeterminewhatcoloreyessomeonewillhave.Some
    peoplehaveagenethatmakesthemlikelytogetadisease.

    ...
    WhichHasADeathGene
    Oxitecmosquitoesareallmale.Theycontainadeathgene.Whenthemosquitoesarereleasedinto
    thewild,theymatewithfemales,buttheoffspringdontsurvive.Thatswhytheyrecalleddeadend
    bugs.
    SometimeearlynextyeartechnicianswillreleasetensofthousandsofthemosquitoesinArraijan.
    ThecommunityisacrossthecanalfromPanamaCity.Butfirst,Panamanianofficialshavetosayitis
    okay.
    Weplantodoabout50,000perweek,saidDr.NestorSosa.Herunsaresearchgroup.Thereneed
    tobeatleast10ofthespecialmosquitoesforeverynormalmosquito,hesaid.
    Ifallgoesaccordingtoplan,themosquitopopulationwilldrop.Sowouldthechanceofcatching
    dengue,Galvezsaid.
    Somepeopledon'tagreewiththeplantousetheOX513Amosquitoes.Peoplethinktheymaynot
    work.Othersdon'tthinkenoughstudieshavebeendoneonhowtheywillaffectotheranimalsand
    plants.

    ButWillItDoTheJob?
    Itispossibledenguecouldgetworse,saidDr.HelenWallace.SherunsaBritishgroupthatmonitors
    geneticscience.Wallacesaidanothermosquitocoulddevelopandcarrythevirus.
    Thenewmosquitoisbeingdevelopedtooquicklytofigureoutwhatmighthappen,oneexpertsaid.
    OlmedoCarrasquilla,anenvironmentallawyerinPanama,saidhisnationshouldbettereducatethe
    publiconmosquitocontrol.Normalmethodstocontrolmosquitoeswork,hesaid.Whyspendmillions
    onsomethingthatmightnotwork?
    Sosa,thehealthofficial,disagreedwithsomeofthearguments.
    Themosquitodiesinafewdays,Sosasaid.Itisnotlikelytoaffecttheenvironment.Itsnotthatwe
    aredoingsomethingthatisenvironmentallyunfriendly.

    ItWorkedWellInBrazil
    HadynParryisinchargeofOxitec.Hesaidthathiscompanythoughtitsmosquitowassaferthan
    usinginsecticides.Thosechemicalsaffectallinsectsinagivenarea,hesaid.Insecticidescanalso
    getintootheranimalsandtheenvironment,andstickaround.
    Deadendmosquitoesonlyaffectonespecies,hesaid.
    Mosquitoesliveforaboutthreeweeks.Theygenerallyspendthattimeinanarea200yardsfrom
    wheretheywereborn.TheOxitecmosquitoes,hesaid,canalwaysbedetected.
    Oxitecmosquitoeshavebeentestedinseveralplaces,Parrysaid.HeexpectstestsinIndiaandin
    theFloridaKeys,ifstateandU.S.officialsgivetheokay.
    IntestsearlierthisyearinavillageinBrazil,Oxitecsaiditgotridof96percentofthedengue
    mosquito

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