Genetic Control Of Malaria And Dengue Using Wolbachia

In the last decade, significant progress has been made in developing Wolbachia as a tool for controlling both dengue and malaria. We can call it the golden time of Wolbachia technology development because so many important milestones have been reached. These milestones include success in introducing Wolbachia into Aedes dengue vectors and the Anopheles malaria vector, demonstration of the spread of Wolbachia into laboratory and field mosquito populations, the discovery of Wolbachia-mediated pathogen interference in mosquitoes, and accomplishment of regulatory approval for field trials in seven countries, including Australia, the United States, China, and Brazil. We now have a proof of concept at the entomological level for both population replacement and population suppression in the field. This success has led to a number of novel opportunities for taking the next step in this enterprise. Probably the most exciting question is what the impact of these approaches will be on disease transmission.