New ‘super-infected’ mosquitoes may help fight dengue, Zika

Arboviruses such as Zika are those harboured by biting bugs like mosquitoes and ticks, which are known as “vectors” – the agents that carry and transmit an infectious pathogen into another living organism. The disease is common in parts of equatorial Africa and Southeast Asia. “It’s not something to create a scare about, but it’s very important that we do have local testing areas”, said County Legislator Rose Walker. Researchers created a strain of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in the lab that has been infected with two types of Wolbachia – a bacterium that can reduce the risk of dengue spreading to humans. The solution could potentially be used to limit not just Zika but malaria, dengue, yellow fever and other mosquito-borne infections such as chikungunya. Others have mused that Zika virus has simply mutated over the past couple of years, causing it to behave differently than it has in the past. The phenomenon is called...