The latest news about entomology, brought to you by the Entomological Society of America
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have confirmed that a benign bacterium called Wolbachia pipientis can completely block transmission of Zika virus in Aedes aegypti, the mosquito species responsible for passing the virus to humans. Matthew Aliota, a first author of a paper published in the journal Scientific Reports, says the bacteria could present a […]
By Richard Levine Yesterday, March 13, 2016, nearly 70 scientists, public-health officials and other participants attended the Summit on the Aedes aegypti Crisis in the Americas, a one-day meeting convened by the Entomological Society of America (ESA) and the Sociedade Entomológica do Brasil (SEB) in the city of Maceió in Alagoas, Brazil. Although the Summit […]
By Erin Weeks Imagine that a strain of bacteria living in your body had the power to protect you from deadly viruses, render you sterile, or even help give rise to a new species of human. For insects, it’s not just fantasy — one widespread variety of bacteria possesses all of these powers, and many […]
Wolbachia, a genus of bacteria that infects insects and other arthropods, has been used in the past to control mosquitoes and to hinder their ability to spread diseases such as dengue virus. However, researchers who wanted to know whether the bacteria could be used as a tool against West Nile virus have found that Wolbachia […]
Entomologists at the University of Kentucky were recently granted a permit from the Environmental Protection Agency to begin field trials of a new mosquito control method. Professor Stephen Dobson developed technology that moves the bacterium Wolbachia between mosquito species. The new biological control method releases Wolbachia-infected males in a targeted area. The males then mate […]
