It’s approximately 01h37 and you’ve clocked about 53 minutes of constantly interrupted sleep since you hit the hay around 22h00. It’s not because of a car alarm going off, or howling winds. It’s not even because of the shouting contest between your muscle-bound MMA neighbour and his blonde-haired belter betty. It’s that same evil mosquito buzzing millimetres from your face, only to vanish when the lights go on. Thanks some chaps in white coats however, that could soon be a thing of the past.

Following hot on the heels of a possible malaria vaccine, another group of scientists have bred mosquitoes in Guatemala which have been genetically modified to fight Dengue fever. Okay, so they’re not going to rid us of our domestic pest, but our biggest problem is a couple of restless nights, not fatalities.

Although it receives less publicity than malaria, Dengue fever is still a very serious problem in certain parts of the world. Caused by the dengue virus, which is carried by mosquitoes, symptoms include fever, headaches, muscle and joint pains and a distinguishing rash. In the most severe cases, the disease develops into the potentially fatal dengue haemorrhagic fever. Cases of the disease have more than quadrupled over the last four decades and it’s estimated that annually 500 000 people hospitalised due to it. Despite the availability of specific medication, the disease continues to spread and hence the new efforts to eradicate it completely.

The genetically modified mosquitoes have been engineered to cause genocide when mating with normal mosquitos. If successful, the efforts could greatly curb the spread of the disease however, there are still several concerns surrounding the issue before it can implemented in the real world. Chief among these is the effect the genetically modified mosquitoes will have on unintended victims and the delicate ecosystem of which they form a part. Despite concerns, research is going ahead to discern the viability of the endeavour.

Other than the above mentioned risks and concerns, if the experiments are successful and results can be achieved without significant collateral damage, this could be a huge step forward for disease control in general and applications could be widespread. Rather than treating symptoms, the root of a disease could be wiped out permanently in one fell swoop.

[Source: Scientific American]