Brazil is at the forefront of an innovative approach, releasing billions of lab-grown mosquitoes in coastal cities like Niterói and Rio de Janeiro. These mosquitoes are infected with the Wolbachia pipientis bacterium, which protects them from infection with dengue, Zika, and chikungunya. The goal is to reduce the rates of mosquito-borne diseases, although the effectiveness of this method is still under investigation.
Wolbachia is a natural parasite found in many insect species, including mosquitoes. When a mosquito is infected with Wolbachia, it becomes resistant to certain viruses, including dengue, Zika, and chikungunya. This is because the bacterium interferes with the replication of the viruses within the mosquito’s cells. By releasing Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes into the wild, researchers aim to establish a population of mosquitoes that are naturally resistant to these diseases. This approach has shown promising results in laboratory settings and field trials, with suppression rates as high as 99 percent in some cases.