ScienceDaily (Nov. 5,
2012) — Female tiger mosquitoes, vectors of the chikungunya virus and of
dengue fever, had been thought to mate only once during their short few weeks
of life. They are apparently much less faithful than imagined, however. A team
representing the IRD and its partners(1) has discovered that they may in fact
mate with several males during their short lives. What is more, the same clutch
of eggs can be engendered by different fathers! For their part, the males can
mate with over 10 different females.
These recent studies,
conducted on the island of Reunion and published notably in the
journal PLOS ONE, will make it possible to perfect the "sterile
insect technique." This innovative approach to fighting against vectors of
disease consists of fooling females into mating with infertile males so as to
reduce the population of mosquitoes in the wild. Researchers will, in particular,
be able to establish what quantity of sterilised males to release in order to
compensate for the infidelities of the females.
Dengue fever and the
chikungunya virus continue to take their toll all over the world. In the
absence of either a vaccine or effective treatment, attacking the vector
remains the sole course of action. If this new method proves promising, it will
offer an ecologically acceptable alternative to the use of insecticides.
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