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A team of scientists rendered male mosquitoes deaf. That’s why

A team of scientists rendered male mosquitoes deaf. That’s why

Scientists have developed a new method to curb the spread of mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue fever, yellow fever and Zika by making male mosquitoes deaf. This is especially true for the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which transmits viruses to approximately 400 million people a year.

A team from the University of California studied the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which infects about 400 million people every year. Researchers have made male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes deaf to make it more difficult for them to mate and reproduce. They noticed that mosquito mating can last from a few seconds to almost a minute. According to scientists, mosquitoes establish sexual relationships while flying in the air, relying heavily on auditory cues to mate.

Male mosquitoes rely on hearing to locate females by the attractive flapping of their wings. In the mutated Aedes aegypti mosquito, neurons normally involved in sound detection did not respond to flight sounds or the flapping wings of potential mates. As a result, male mosquitoes were deaf to the attractive sounds of female mosquitoes.

Researchers conducted an experiment that disrupted the hearing of male mosquitoes, forcing them to fight to mate and reproduce, while completely preventing mating among deaf male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. The genetic change resulted in male mosquitoes not making physical contact with females even after three days in the same cage. In contrast, wild-type (non-mutant) male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes quickly mated several times and fertilized almost all the females in the cage.

They focused on a protein called trpVa, which is essential for hearing in male mosquitoes. By targeting this protein, they figured out how to interrupt mating using genetics. In the mutated mosquitoes, neurons that are normally involved in detecting sound did not respond to the sounds of flight or the vibrations of the wings of potential mates. The researchers closely observed mosquito mating, which can last from a few seconds to just under a minute.

Scientists from the University of California, who published their study in the journal PNAS, noted that the effect of the gene knockout was “absolute” as mating in deaf males was completely stopped.

Dr Jörg Albert from the University of Oldenburg in Germany, an expert on mosquito mating, commented on the study. He said: “This study provides the first direct molecular test to confirm that hearing is indeed not only important for mosquito reproduction, but essential. Without males’ ability to hear—and acoustically pursue—female mosquitoes could go extinct.” Dr Albert added that attacking mosquitoes’ ears was a promising way to control mosquito breeding, but further research was needed.

Only female mosquitoes transmit diseases to humans. If mosquitoes breed less, it will reduce the number of diseases they spread. However, mosquitoes are also an important part of the food chain. Mosquitoes are food for fish, birds, bats and frogs. Some mosquitoes are important plant pollinators.

Dr. Jörg Albert also said that mosquitoes’ sense of sound needs to be studied and manipulated. He added that another method scientists are exploring is releasing sterile males in areas experiencing outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases.

Sources: BBC News, Periódico HOY, ABP.


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This article was written in collaboration with generative artificial intelligence company Alchemiq.