Using Mosquitoes to Fight Mosquitoes: A Novel Approach Against Dengue

The aedes aegypti mosquitoes are notorious for spreading viral diseases such as yellow fever, Chikungunya, Zika and Dengue. But could they also be the solution to the inexorable proliferation of the pathogenic virome? Researchers identified and isolated a series of human antibodies that can be used to suppress all four known strains of Dengue (thereby avoiding antibody dependent enhancement). They proceeded to breed a female mosquito population that synthetically expresses these antibodies. Then, once the ‘skeeter bites and draws blood, the antibodies inside it are activated and prevent viral replication. Subsequently, in a process similar to “gene drives,” the antibody expression can spread within the mosquito population and quell Dengue expansion. For a viral disease that still lacks a specific treatment, controlling aedes aegypti and preventing Dengue from infecting and burgeoning in the first place is the best tactic to save lives in susceptible geographic areas. Transgenic mosquitoes appear to be a viable method to control Dengue and potentially other ARBOviruses in the future.

~Avi Kaye

Article: Buchman et al. Broad dengue neutralization in mosquitoes expressing an engineered antibody. PLOS Pathogens, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1008103