Genetically Modified Mosquitoes: A New Strategy to Control Mosquito Borne Diseases

Abstract

Mosquito borne diseases remain a major human and animal health concern in many areas of the world. Chemical control strategy faces a number of problems including the development of insecticide resistance in mosquitoes, the impact of insecticides on human and animal health and the environment and the constant inability to control mosquitoes effectively. Advances in the knowledge about mosquito-pathogen relationships and the molecular biology of mosquitoes make it now possible to produce mosquito strains that are unable to transmit various parasites or viruses. Strategies of using the genetically modified mosquitoes to control mosquito borne diseases are discussed here.