Sterile mosquitoes

U.S. scientists develop genetic engineering technology to eradicate the mosquito causes dengue fever in the Cayman Islands. The prevalence of the disease reported in these islands is very high. The trial is the first time carried out in the open after a few years was developed in laboratory scale with the number of counting calculations.

"These field trials will be a big leap," said Andrew Read, professor of biology and entomology at Pennsylvania State University. The move to abolish serangka that mediates the disease, he said, is very favorable for life.

Dengue fever disease starts from a mosquito bites an infected, causing fever, pain in the joints, and lead to rupture of blood membuluh. A total of 2.5 billion citizens of the world at risk of dengue fever, according to WHO data, and at least 50 million cases are found each year. To date, no vaccine that can prevent it. Unlike malaria, dengue fever outbreaks can not be predicted.

How does the system work anti-dengue fever mosquito is this? Researchers at Oxitec Limited manipulate sterile male mosquitoes by manipulating the composition of its DNA. In the Cayman Islands, the researchers release the 3 million males to see females of the same type. Second marriage would not produce offspring. Just so you know, blood-sucking mosquitoes only pregnant female mosquitoes.

Within a week, the scientists gradually releasing mosquitoes three times in an area of 40 acres. In this group of Caribbean Islands, dengue fever is endemic center. Hopefully, this barren mosquitoes will be able to reduce cases of dengue fever up to 80 percent.

But this move was opposed most of the environmental activists. They are worried to be born a mutant mosquitoes - the unwanted gene mutation - that would endanger humans and the environment