Tag: wolbachia
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Scientists and government agencies are targeting mosquitoes with bacteria
by Nancy Endersby-Harshman and Ary Hoffmann This article was first published on Pursuit. Read the original article Dengue fever is one of the most common tropical diseases in the world, affecting several million people every year. It is transmitted by mosquitoes, particularly a species known as Aedes aegypti, the yellow fever mosquito. Dengue is a […] -
The fly DNA fighting killer bacteria
Dr Perran Stott-Ross and Professor Ary Hoffmann Artwork by Tank Monsternova https://www.monsternova.art/ This article was first published on Pursuit. Read the original article. The more we learn about the biological world, the more complex it becomes. Nowhere is this more apparent than in recent discoveries about the ways in which microorganisms influence their hosts. The […]blogs.unimelb.edu.au/pearg/2023/03/29/the-fly-dna-fighting-killer-bacteria
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Dengue-blocking mosquitoes here to stay
This article was first published on Pursuit. Read the original article. Dr Perran Stott-Ross Story Producer: Nerissa Hannink Dengue fever and other mosquito-borne diseases remain a massive threat to human health and wellbeing. Urbanisation and climate change are likely to increase this threat as established mosquitoes spread to new environments and gain a foothold. Eradicating […]blogs.unimelb.edu.au/pearg/2022/04/12/dengue-blocking-mosquitoes-here-to-stay
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A self-spreading bacterial infection in an agricultural pest that stops the pest from spreading plant viruses
Words: Ary Hoffmann Banner image: Natasha Wright, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. In Asia, one of the most damaging pests of rise is the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens. This pest damages plants directly but more importantly it acts as a vector for damaging plant viruses, including the “rice ragged stunt virus” (RRSV). This […] -
The resistance advantage – a field genetic background is important for survival of our Wolbachia mosquitoes in Malaysia and reduction of dengue
Banner image: Nancy with scientists from the Wolbachia dengue program at the Institute for Medical Research, Ministry of Health, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Words and photos: Nancy M. Endersby-Harshman Our paper published two weeks ago in Insects is the result of a research collaboration between PEARG at the University of Melbourne, the Institute for Medical Research […] -
Dengue-blocking bacteria endure the heat
“This article was first published on Pursuit. Read the original article.” Dr Perran Stott-Ross and Professor Ary Hoffmann Bushfires. Coral bleaching. Heatwaves. These disastrous events are a harsh reality in Australia. And they’re only going to become more frequent and severe with climate change. Last year, 2019, was Australia’s hottest year ever recorded, and records […]blogs.unimelb.edu.au/pearg/2020/01/24/dengue-blocking-bacteria-endure-the-heat
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Wolbachia infections in Aedes aegypti: The ‘Bigfoot’ of endosymbionts
Words: Perran Ross Wolbachia are endosymbiotic bacteria found within the cells of many insects, from butterflies and bees to cockroaches and dung beetles. Wolbachia are so common because they often provide their insect hosts with an advantage, aiding their spread through populations. Whether an insect carries Wolbachia is an important question, especially if they’re a […] -
Variability in mosquito host-seeking ability
Words and images: Meng-Jia Lau Behaviour is one of the most complex study areas in biology because it involves a combination of many factors that are often quite variable. In mosquitoes, host-seeking is the behaviour of females seeking a blood meal which provides the extra protein they need in order to lay eggs. The biting […]blogs.unimelb.edu.au/pearg/2019/11/28/variability-in-mosquito-host-seeking-ability
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Establishment of Wolbachia Strain wAlbB in Malaysian Populations of Aedes aegypti for Dengue Control
Our freshly published open access paper in Current Biology is the culmination of several years of work with a large team of very talented and dedicated researchers. Rather than rehash the story here, please see press releases below: Press release from the UniMelb newsroom (alternatively at Bio21’s siteBio21’s site or at SciMex) Brief summary article […] -
Lab-reared mosquitoes maintain their lust for blood
Words and images: Perran Ross Modified mosquitoes raised in laboratories are being released into the wild in disease control programs. These mosquitoes will still bite you, but they’re less capable of transmitting the viruses that cause dengue fever, Zika and more. This antiviral effect is caused by infection with a bacterium called Wolbachia, which occurs […]blogs.unimelb.edu.au/pearg/2019/11/07/lab-reared-mosquitoes-maintain-their-lust-for-blood
Number of posts found: 24