Sustainable living

Combating disease with killer mosquitoes

.

 Dennis Kunkel Microscopy/SPL

The lab-grown mosquitoes developed by MosquitoMate seek to eliminate the disease-carrying Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus, shown here). [Excerpted from 10.1038/nature.2017.22959]

In attempts to fight the Asian tiger mosquito, an invasive species that spreads diseases like zika, the Environmental Protection Agency approved the use of Wolbachia pipientis, a bacterium that can infect and eliminate this species of mosquito. A biotech company [Mosquito Mate] will raise male mosquitoes, infected with the bacterium and release them in 20 states. The infected males will mate with the female Asian Tiger species. The females will lay eggs that will not hatch, eventually killing of the species.

“The EPA decision excludes much of the southeastern United States, which is home to dense populations of mosquitoes and a long mosquito season, because MosquitoMate did not conduct field trials there” [Waltz, 2017].

To read more about this experiment and trial release of mosquitoes, follow the links below.

Nature doi:10.1038/nature.2017.22959

EPA:  EPA Grants Extension of Experimental Use Permit for ‘Wolbachia Mosquito’

Grist: The U.S. plans to use killer mosquitoes to fight disease

I have included links to descriptions of the various viruses that are carried by the Asian tiger mosquito.

Zika virus

Dengue

Yellow fever

What is lurking in flood waters following a natural disaster?

                                                       Image credit: LM Otero/Associated Press

The recent Hurricanes [in Florida, Puerto Rico, Houston and other areas] brought many unseen hazards to people affected by flood waters. These waters mix with everything on and under the ground. Industrial solvents and chemicals, animal waste, sewage and pesticides get washed into the flood waters; not to mention sharp objects and unexpected wildlife [snakes, alligators, ants, and rats—to name a few](Brodin, E., 2017).

For those that must wade through and interact in these waters there is potential for spread of diseases and infection. Some of those can be very serious. A few of these potential hazards include leptospirosis, ecoli and vibrio.

Below is a short list of a few resources on the topic. Click on the links to learn more about the dangers lingering in flood waters around the world.

Internet Resources

Brodin, E., 2017. Scientists warn that floodwaters from Hurricane Harvey still pose a lingering threat — here’s what to watch out for. Business insider. Online. Available at: http://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-harvey-floodwater-dangerous-tetanus-2017-8 [Accessed on 11/1/2017]

Kaplan, S. & Healy, J., 2017. Houston’s Floodwaters Are Tainted, Testing Shows. New York Times, Online. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/11/health/houston-flood-contamination.html?_r=0 [Accessed on 11/1/2017].

World Health Organization, 2012. Leptospirosis. Online. Available at: http://www.wpro.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs_13082012_leptospirosis/en/ [Accessed on 11/1/2017].

Peer reviewed Journal articles:

Ko AI et al., 1999.  Urban epidemic of severe leptospirosis in Brazil. Lancet. Sep 4 354 820 825 
PubMed abstract (Free)  Web of Science

Socolovschi, C., et. al, 2011. Strikes, flooding, rats, and leptospirosis in Marseille, France. International Journal of Infectious Diseases. 15 (2011) e710-e715. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2011.05.017

Ayral, F., et. al., 2015. Distribution of Leptospira interrogans by Multispacer Sequence Typing in Urban Norway Rats (Rattus norvegicus): A Survey in France in 2011-2013. PLos One. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0139604 [Accessed on 11/2/2017].