Autor(es): Labbe, Genevieve M. C.; Nimmo, Derric D.; Alphey, Luke

Resumo: The Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, is a highly invasive mosquito and has spread from South East Asia to Europe, the United States and northern areas of Asia in the past 30 years. Aedes mosquitoes transmit a range of viral diseases, including dengue and chikungunya. Aedes albopictus is generally considered to be somewhat less of a concern in this regard than Aedes aegypti. However a recent mutation in the chikungunya virus dramatically increased its transmission by Aedes albopictus, causing an important outbreak in the Indian Ocean in 2006 that eventually reached Italy in 2007. This highlights the potential importance of this mosquito, which can thrive much further from the Equator than can Aedes aegypti. This paper describes the first genetic engineering of the Asian tiger mosquito. This is an essential step towards the development of genetics-based control methods against this mosquito, and also an invaluable tool for basic research. We describe both transposon-based and site-specific integration methods.

Palavras-Chave: Human diseases; Viral diseases; Mutations; Pest control; Aquatic insects; Disease transmission; Dispersion; Public health; Transformation; Integration; Dengue; Genetic engineering; Oceans; Mutation; Aedes aegypti; Chikungunya virus; Aedes albopictus

Imprenta: Plos Neglected Tropical Diseases, v. 4, n. 8, 2010.

Descritores: Aedes aegypti - Virus ; Aedes aegypti - Transmission ; Aedes aegypti - Dengue ; Aedes aegypti - Public health

Data de publicação: 2010

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