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Aedes aegypti:
vector-borne pathogens and genetic engineering

Capt Lisa Fernandez

Chief, Research Entomologist
Applied Technology and Genomics Division
USAF School of Aerospace Medicine

Distribution D: DoD and DoD Contractors Only

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 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

 Aedes aegypti: why is this species so important?

 Biology, the pathogens transmitted, and impacts on public
health.

 Chikungunya: what is it, where is it, and why do we care?

 Review local transmission in the US.

 Genetic engineering: vector control or mad science?

 Self-limiting genes and the concerns associated with it.

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 OVERVIEW

 Aedes aegypti
 Biology
 Distribution

 Pathogens
 Dengue
 Yellow Fever
 Chikungunya

 Genetic engineering
 Background
 Self-limiting gene

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 MOSQUITOES: not all bad

 Diptera = flies
 Two wings
 Includes all mosquitoes

 3500 species
 <1% bite humans
 Only females blood feed

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 Aedes aegypti

 Morphology
 Pointed abdomen
 Black and white legs
 Lyre-shape

 Behavior
 Prefers human host
 Morning, late afternoon biters
 Short flight range

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 LIFE CYCLE

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 HABITAT

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 Ae. aegypti globally

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 Ae. aegypti in US

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 DENGUE

 Symptoms
 headache, muscle pain, rash
 “Breakbone fever”

 Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF)

 Fever 2-7 days  “leaky” blood vessels
 5% mortality

 No vaccine available for naïve populations

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 DENGUE
 40% world’s population exposed
 50-100 million infections/year
 500K DHF
 22K deaths

 US Outbreaks
 2001 HI – 100 cases
 2005 TX – 24 cases
 2009 FL – 27 cases
 2010 FL – 60 cases
 2015-2016 HI – 264 cases

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 YELLOW FEVER

 Host: primates

 Symptoms
 Vaccination available
 Fever, chills, headache, muscle ache, nausea,
vomiting, jaundice (yellow)

 200K infection worldwide

 30K deaths

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 CHIKUNGUNYA

 Hosts = humans, monkeys, birds, cattle, rodents

 1952 first described in Tanzania

 Presently in over 60 countries

 Symptoms
 Fever, muscle pain, rash
 Rarely fatal
 1 week recovery

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 CHIKUNGUNYA

 1952 first described in Tanzania  2014: > 1 million cases in

 2005: India & SE Asia ~2 million Americas
cases  12 cases in FL
 2007: Italy 197 cases  2015-2016: 31K in Americas
 2013: Caribbean first local  TX local case
transmission

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 GENETIC ENGINEERNG

 Manipulation of genes over time

 Selective breeding
 Darwin: pigeons and cattle
 Agriculture
 Domestic pets

 Recent technology
 Direct insertion of genes
 Selection “sped up”

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 GENETIC ENGINEERING

 Green Fluorescent Protein

 Discovered 1962, Noble Prize 2008
 Isolated from jellyfish

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 OX513A MOSQUITO

 Self-limiting gene
 Gene produces a non-toxic protein
 Protein interrupts other genes
 Prevents development

 Release OX513A males

 Males mate w/ females
 Offspring die

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 RESULTS
 Brazil
 81-90% population reduction
 91% reduction of Dengue

 FDA: “no significant impact”

 WHO issued positive recommendation
 Nov 2016: field trials approved in FL

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 ERADICATION?
 NO
 Impact on bird/fish populations
 Loss of pollinators

 YES
 Other insects fill niche
 Decrease disease transmission
 Lower health costs
 Increased development

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 SUMMARY

 Aedes aegypti
 Biology
 Distribution

 Pathogens
 Dengue
 Yellow Fever
 Chikungunya

 Genetic engineering
 Background
 Self-limiting gene

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 REFERENCES
Ballenger-Browning K.K, Elder J.P., (2009) Multi-modal Aedes aegypti mosquito reduction interventions and dengue fever prevention. Tropical
Medicine and international health 14(12): 1542-1551.

CDC National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases: Division of Vector-Borne Diseases. Chikungunya: Vector Control. Estimated Range of
Aedes aegypti in the United States, 2016. April 2016. http://www.cdc.gov/chikungunya/resources/vector-control.html

CDC National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases: Division of Vector-Borne Diseases. Chikungunya Virus: Transmission, Symptoms &
Treatment, Geographic Distribution. Aug 2015. < https://www.cdc.gov/chikungunya/index.html>

CDC National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases: Division of Vector-Borne Diseases. Dengue: Symptoms and what to do if you think you
have dengue, Epidemiology, Entomology & Ecology. Jan 2016. http://www.cdc.gov/dengue/index.html

CDC National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases: Division of Vector-Borne Diseases. Mosquito life cycle: Aedes aegypti.
http://www.cdc.gov/zika/pdfs/mosquitolifecycle.pdf

CDC National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases: Division of Vector-Borne Diseases. Yellow Fever: Transmission, Symptoms and
Treatment, Geographic Distribution. July 2016. http://www.cdc.gov/yellowfever/index.html

Fang, J. Ecology: A world without mosquitoes. Nature 466, 432-434 (2010).

Goddard, J. Physicians Guide to Arthropods of Medical Importance: Mosquitoes. 6 th Edition. CRC Press. 2013.

Monaghan AJ, Morin CW, Steinhoff DF, Wilhelmi O, Hayden M, Quattrochi DA, Reiskind M, Lloyd AL, Smith K, Schmidt CA, Scalf PE, Ernst K. On
the Seasonal Occurrence and Abundance of the Zika Virus Vector Mosquito Aedes Aegypti in the Contiguous United States. PLOS Currents
Outbreaks. March 2016.

MUG Kraemer, ME Sinka, KA Duda, AQN Mylne, FM Shearer, CM Barker, CG Moore, RG Carvalho, GE Coelho, W Van Bortel, G Hendrickx, F
Schaffner, IRF Elyazar, H Teng, OJ Brady, JP Messina, DM Pigott, TW Scott, DL Smith, GRW Wint, N Golding, SI Hay. The global distribution of the
arbovirus vectors Aedes aegypti and Ae. Albopictus. June 2015.

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 REFERENCES CONTINUED
Nobel Prizes and Laureates. The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2008. http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/2008/press.html

Oxitec. Our Solution: Programmes, Technology- How the Self-Limitng Gene works, Safety and Sustainability. 2016.
http://www.oxitec.com/our-solution/

Samir B, PW Gething, OJ Brady, JP Messina, AW Farlow, CL Moyes, JM Drake, JA Brownstein, AG Hoen, O Sankoh, MF Myers, DB George, T
Jaenisch, GRW Wint, SP Simmons, TW Scott, JJ Farrar & SI Hay. The global distribution and burden of dengue. Nature 496, 504–507 (25 April
2013).

World Health Organization. Chikungunya – United States of America. June 2016. http://www.who.int/csr/don/14-june-2016-chikungunya-
usa/en/

World Health Organization. Dengue Control: The mosquito. 2016. http://www.who.int/denguecontrol/mosquito/en/

World Health Organization. Emergencies preparedness, response. Fact Sheets: Chikungunya. April 2016.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs327/en/

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 Contact Information
 Army: APHC – Disease Epidemiology Division
Aberdeen Proving Ground – MD
COMM: (410) 436-7605 DSN: 584-7605
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USAFSAM / PHR / Epidemiology Consult Service
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COMM: (937) 938-3207 DSN: 798-3207
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 QUESTIONS ?

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