Spanish Laboratory Sterilizes Mosquitoes
![](https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/mosquitoes.jpg)
![](https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/mosquitoes2.jpg)
Left: A tiger mosquito seen through a 20x optical microscope, in Moncada, Spain, on July 19 Right: Male tiger mosquito pupae, which will develop into adult male mosquitoes and be sterilized by irradiation before release
16:30 JST, August 8, 2024
NAQUERA, Spain (Reuters) — A Spanish laboratory is breeding and sterilizing thousands of tiger mosquitoes to fight dengue fever and other diseases as climate change encourages the invasive species to spread across Europe.
Using an electron accelerator, the regional government-funded Biological Pest Control Centre in Valencia sterilizes and releases about 45,000 male mosquitoes every week so they can pair with females — whose bite transmits diseases among humans — and eventually reduce the overall mosquito population.
“It’s a species that is becoming more common with climate change … There is a favorable environment for its development for longer periods of time throughout the year and its populations are increasing all the time,” said Vicente Dalmau of Valencia region’s health, agriculture and fisheries department.
The specimens for reproduction come from the region, and scientists then use a machine to separate female pupae from the males, before using radiation to sterilize the males.
Sterilization techniques have been used in other parts of the world but the lab, using its experience with fruit flies, is pioneering their use on tiger mosquitoes in Europe at a time of growing concern over a rise in mosquito-born diseases such as dengue, zika and chikungunya.
Data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control shows an increase in cases imported from regions where dengue is endemic, as well as an increasing number of local outbreaks of West Nile virus and dengue in Europe.
The striped tiger mosquito, or Aedes albopictus, is spreading north, east, and west in Europe, and now has self-sustaining populations in 13 countries, including Spain.
The World Health Organization said last year that dengue rates were rising globally, with reported cases sin
"Science & Nature" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
TEPCO to Commence Groundbreaking Fukushima Debris Extraction; Marking New Phase in Decommissioning
-
Govt to Develop AI-Equipped Drones to Identify Suspicious People in Disaster-Hit Areas
-
Tahitians Fight for Reef, Way of Life
-
Environment Ministry Finds Fukushima Treated Water Discharge Has No Environmental Impact; Russia, S. Korea Also Declare No Cause for Concern
-
Giraffes Bring Peace to Kenyan Communities Once at Odds
JN ACCESS RANKING