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https://www.arca.fiocruz.br/handle/icict/70205
EXPLOITING WOLBACHIA AS A TOOL FOR MOSQUITO-BORNE DISEASE CONTROL: PURSUING EFFICACY, SAFETY, AND SUSTAINABILITY
Arboviruses
Climate change
Community engagement
Effectiveness
Incompatible insect technique
Population replacement strategy
Safety
Sustainability
Vector control
Author
Affilliation
Casaccia Research Center, Department for Sustainability. Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy, and Sustainable Economic Development. Rome, Italy.
Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine. Nanyang Technological University.Singapore, Singapore.
Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto René Rachou. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.
Casaccia Research Center, Department for Sustainability. Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy, and Sustainable Economic Development. Rome, Italy. / Center for the Analysis of Sustainable Agricultural Systems. Kensington, CA, USA.
Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto René Rachou. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil. / Department of Sciences and Technologies for Sustainable Development and One Health. Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma. Roma, Italy.
Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine. Nanyang Technological University.Singapore, Singapore.
Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine. Nanyang Technological University.Singapore, Singapore.
Area of Parasitology. Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology and Parasitology. Faculty of Pharmacy. Universitat de València. Valencia, Spain.
Verily Life Sciences. South San Francisco. CA, USA.
Center for the Analysis of Sustainable Agricultural Systems. Kensington, CA, USA./ Division of Ecosystem Science. College of Natural Resources. University of California. Berkeley, CA, USA.
Department of Entomology. University of Kentucky. Lexington, KY, USA. / MosquitoMate, Inc. Lexington, KY, USA.
Pest and Environmental Adaptation Research Group. School of BioSciences, Bio Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute. The University of Melbourne. Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine. Nanyang Technological University.Singapore, Singapore.
Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto René Rachou. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.
Casaccia Research Center, Department for Sustainability. Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy, and Sustainable Economic Development. Rome, Italy. / Center for the Analysis of Sustainable Agricultural Systems. Kensington, CA, USA.
Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto René Rachou. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil. / Department of Sciences and Technologies for Sustainable Development and One Health. Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma. Roma, Italy.
Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine. Nanyang Technological University.Singapore, Singapore.
Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine. Nanyang Technological University.Singapore, Singapore.
Area of Parasitology. Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology and Parasitology. Faculty of Pharmacy. Universitat de València. Valencia, Spain.
Verily Life Sciences. South San Francisco. CA, USA.
Center for the Analysis of Sustainable Agricultural Systems. Kensington, CA, USA./ Division of Ecosystem Science. College of Natural Resources. University of California. Berkeley, CA, USA.
Department of Entomology. University of Kentucky. Lexington, KY, USA. / MosquitoMate, Inc. Lexington, KY, USA.
Pest and Environmental Adaptation Research Group. School of BioSciences, Bio Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute. The University of Melbourne. Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Abstract
Despite the application of control measures, mosquito-borne diseases continue to pose a serious threat to human health. In this context, exploiting Wolbachia, a common symbiotic bacterium in insects, may offer effective solutions to suppress vectors or reduce their competence in transmitting several arboviruses. Many Wolbachia strains can induce conditional egg sterility, known as cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), when infected males mate with females that do not harbor the same Wolbachia infection. Infected males can be mass-reared and then released to compete with wild males, reducing the likelihood of wild females encountering a fertile mate. Furthermore, certain Wolbachia strains can reduce the competence of mosquitoes to transmit several RNA viruses. Through CI, Wolbachia-infected individuals can spread within the population, leading to an increased frequency of mosquitoes with a reduced ability to transmit pathogens. Using artificial methods, Wolbachia can be horizontally transferred between species, allowing the establishment of various laboratory lines of mosquito vector species that, without any additional treatment, can produce sterilizing males or females with reduced vector competence, which can be used subsequently to replace wild populations. This manuscript reviews the current knowledge in this field, describing the different approaches and evaluating their efficacy, safety, and sustainability. Successes, challenges, and future perspectives are discussed in the context of the current spread of several arboviral diseases, the rise of insecticide resistance in mosquito populations, and the impact of climate change. In this context, we explore the necessity of coordinating efforts among all stakeholders to maximize disease control. We discuss how the involvement of diverse expertise-ranging from new biotechnologies to mechanistic modeling of eco-epidemiological interactions between hosts, vectors, Wolbachia, and pathogens-becomes increasingly crucial. This coordination is especially important in light of the added complexity introduced by Wolbachia and the ongoing challenges posed by global change.
Keywords
WolbachiaArboviruses
Climate change
Community engagement
Effectiveness
Incompatible insect technique
Population replacement strategy
Safety
Sustainability
Vector control
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