#ornament blog #medical technology #virus+1

How Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Will Protect People From Dangerous Diseases

28 de octubre de 2025

2 min de lectura

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes live in a tropical climate and carry dangerous diseases such as dengue fever and the Zika virus. Annually, $1 million USD is budgeted to combat malevolent mosquitoes. The new development by the biotech company Oxitec, which has created genetically modified mosquitoes, will cost less and be more effective. This is an important development because mosquitoes become pesticide-resistant over time.

Puntos clave

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes live in a tropical climate and carry dangerous diseases such as dengue fever and the Zika virus.
Which Are the Good Mosquitoes?
Test by Nature

Para quién es

Personas que exploran Ornament Blog a través de ornament blog, medical technology.

Por qué importa

Este artículo te ayuda a orientarte rápidamente y luego avanzar a una colección o serie si quieres seguir profundizando.

Autor del artículo

Alina

Redactor jefe de Ornament Health AG

Which Are the Good Mosquitoes?

Scientists have introduced a lethal gene into male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. The modified males are expected to mate with females and pass the lethal gene to the offspring. As a result, the new generation of female mosquitoes dies before reaching maturity as they cannot produce the necessary protein. Genetic modification doesn't affect male mosquitoes, which survive and can mate with females. At the same time, it is females who bite humans since the former need blood to produce and mature eggs. The male mosquitoes drink nectar and, as a consequence, don't infect people with lethal diseases.

According to the results of laboratory research, approximately 3 % of Aedes aegypti female mosquitoes possessing the lethal gene live into adulthood, but they are too weak to produce offspring. However, there is no 100 % guarantee that this tendency will continue, as it is yet to be put to the test.

Test by Nature

Today, scientists don't know how the arrival of hybrid mosquitoes may affect humans or animals who live in the same environment as the pests. There are arguments that the Oxitec mosquitoes themselves may harm the local wildlife in unexpected ways. At the same time, some independent researchers remind us that the ecosystem is so complex and includes so many species that it would be impossible to test all of them in advance in the lab environment.

The First Experience

From 2013 until 2015, Oxitec produced millions of genetically modified mosquitoes in one of the regions of Brazil. Later, their genes were found in local mosquitoes, which demonstrates that some female mosquitoes lived to the age when they could mate and pass their genes to the offspring. However, the first hybrid mosquitoes didn't carry the Oxitec lethal gene but carried the genes of the original Cuban and Mexican insect population. Oxitec has already released genetically modified mosquitoes with a lethal gene in the Cayman Islands, Panama, and Malaysia. According to the results of research published in 2016, the population of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in each of these regions has decreased by a minimum of 90 %. Recently, the modified mosquitoes were found in the United States in the Florida Keys archipelago, the southernmost part of Florida.

Source: www.livescience.com/genetically-modified-mosquito-florida.html

Seguir leyendo

Ornament Blog#estilo de vida saludable

First-Ever ‘Living’ Robots Created by American Scientists

American scientists from the University of Vermont have used the Deep Green supercomputer to create a new life-form — living robots. The unique xenobots were built using living cells from frog embryos.

Dra. Asya28 oct 2025

Ornament Blog#sangre

Ornament Health AG invests in Genius Labs projects

Investments in health are the most important of our lives. In recent years, preventive medicine, which aims to prevent disease rather than cure it, has become increasingly popular. At the peak of this trend, Ornament Health AG is expanding its possibilities by investing in IT projects allowing people to consciously look after their health.

Alina28 oct 2025

Ornament Blog#technologies

Ornament Will Exchange Data With Apple Health

There is good news for all iPhone owners. The new version of Ornament can be integrated with the Apple Health app. How will it work? And what are the benefits?

Alina28 oct 2025

Infecciones bacterianas y víricas#virus

What Vaccinations Should Be Done When Traveling to Foreign Countries?

Even during a pandemic, people are not ready to give up travel. Exotic destinations such as Brazil, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Kenya, and South Africa are open for tourists. If you go to these countries—especially countries in Africa—you can face dangerous infections, and vaccinations can help protect you.

Dra. Elena28 oct 2025

Instala Ornament para no solo leer estos artículos, sino también hacer seguimiento de tu salud, guardar resultados de análisis y acceder a otras funciones útiles

Instalar Ornament