Male Mosquito (Photo : Reuters)
According to the study by researchers from the Fralin Life Science Institute at Virginia Tech, male mosquitoes have nothing to do with the transmission of the dengue virus.
The study shows that the gender that carries the viruses for dengue, yellow fever, and chikungunya are the female species. The female mosquitoes are the ones who carry the eggs and they bite for blood to help them grow their eggs. Researchers believed that a rise in the male specie will decrease the spreading of the infectious viruses, The Gazette Herald reported.
A genetic change called Nix in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes was discovered by these scientists and is known to be responsible in knowing the gender of a mosquito.
"Nix provides us with exciting opportunities to harness mosquito sex in the fight against infectious diseases because maleness is the ultimate disease-refractory trait," a Professor of Biochemistry, Zhijian Jake Tu explained.
Scientists conducted an experiment where they injected Nix into the mosquitoes' embryo and two-thirds of the injected insects developed male genitals and testes. Upon removing Nix, these insects returned back to being females, according to the Empire State Tribune.
This scientific breakthrough of changing female mosquitoes into harmless males will provide us a new way of handling the development of mosquitoes or better yet, eradicate the females completely.
A Professor of Entomology, Zach Adelman, disclosed that the study is nearly completed but he is positive that their ultimate goal of establishing transgenic lines which defines Nix in genetic females to convert them to males is going to work well.
