Dengue, bacteria in the mosquito microbiome to control larval development

A recently published study in the Journal of Applied Microbiology, conducted by researchers at the Universities of Exeter (UK) and Wageningen (Netherlands), examined the impact of the Asaia bacterium on the development of mosquito larvae Aedes aegypti, a vector for dengue fever. It is postulated that the Asaia bacteria in the mosquito microbiome may play a beneficial role in disease control, as they may accelerate the development time of larvae by one day. Given that the larval period of the mosquito Aedes aegypti typically lasts approximately 10 days, accelerating the development of the larvae by one day could prove an invaluable enhancement to the mass production of infertile male mosquitoes. The researchers posit that this discovery could enhance global health programmes for mosquito-borne infections, proving to be considerably more effective than the widespread spraying of insecticides. This is because mosquitoes have developed resistance to many commonly used chemicals.