The control of mosquito-borne diseases may enter an uncertain scenario in the coming years due to climate change. Pathologies such as malaria, dengue and the Zika virus, which already affect millions of people, can expand their radius of action, spurred on by high temperatures, which not only contribute to expanding the spread of transmission vectorsbut also hinder some of the strategies designed for its control.
One of the technologies that have been developed to try to stop the spread of these emerging diseases involves using the bacteria Wolbachia pipiens, which blocks the infection and transmission of various pathogens. So far multiple strains of the bacterium Wolbachia have already been transferred to several species of Aedes mosquitoes and have been tested in Latin America, Asia and Oceania, mainly with the strain of the bacterium wMel. However, the shield it provides wMel it can lose its effectiveness due to heat stress, as demonstrated in a study by a group of researchers from the University of California. The work you publish Nature Climate Change suggests that, in the short term, the increasingly frequent scenarios of high heat waves could reduce the effectiveness of wMel.
Why a bacterium to stop mosquitoes? From the US national public health agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is explained that Wolbachia is a common type of bacteria found in insects. About six in 10 of all types of insects in the world, such as bees, beetles, and butterflies carry this pathogen naturally.
The advantage that the researchers found in the bacterium is that it cannot cause disease in other living beings. In the US, the use of mosquitoes with Wolbachia It is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Prior to the release of mosquitoes with the bacteria into an area, EPA must grant a permission for experimental use (EUP).
In Europe, this natural biocide is also used to combat the risks of the settlement of disease-transmitting mosquitoes. An example in Spain is collected by the Spanish Journal of Public Health, in a recent issue. Here is the presence of Aedes albopictuswith a high health and social impact, detected in Valencia in 2015 and the use of hinnovative tools for its control include the use of endosymbiotic bacteria Wolbachia pipientis.