A proposed programme could help reduce mosquito-borne diseases in the United States by releasing sterilised male mosquitoes to suppress populations of the invasive Aedes aegypti species.
“It’s really a genius technique that has been used to completely eradicate or reduce the numbers of serious pests and vectors,” said Chris Grinter, entomologist at the California Academy of Sciences.
Google’s Debug programme is seeking approval to release up to 32 million Wolbachia-infected male mosquitoes in California and Florida. Because only male mosquitoes are released, they do not bite or transmit disease. The technique has been used for more than 60 years to control agricultural pests and has already shown strong results elsewhere. In Singapore, releases helped achieve 80–90 per cent suppression of Aedes aegypti populations and more than 70 per cent reductions in dengue cases within 6-12 months. The targeted mosquito is not native to either state, and scientists say reducing its numbers could lower the risk of diseases such as dengue fever, West Nile virus, and other mosquito-borne illnesses.
