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August 24, 2011

Bacterium Blocks Dengue Fever in Mosquitoes

Natasha Gilbert, Nature News


AP Photo

A common bacterium that infects mosquitoes is showing promise as a way to control the spread of dengue fever.

Transmitted by the mosquito Aedes aegypti, dengue fever kills around 12,500 people a year. Unlike for malaria, bed nets are not effective in combating dengue as A. aegypti is active during the day. And concerns about rising resistance to insecticides has spurred the search for alternatives.

A team led by Scott O'Neill, a geneticist at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, believe they may have the answer.

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TAGGED: wolbachia, bacterial infection, bacteria, mosquitoes, dengue fever

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