'Raid' on a mosquito farm used to combat Zika.
Hundreds of Aedes mosquitoes clung to the volunteer's arm, eagerly sucking blood. They left with their bellies full and glistening reddish-pink, leaving behind a multitude of raised bumps on the forearm of the mosquito breeder.
It was a peculiar meal of Aedes mosquitoes that we witnessed during our visit to the Aedes mosquito "farm" at the Pasteur Institute in Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa province. These Aedes mosquitoes had been inoculated with Wolbachia bacteria by scientists from the Central Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology.
When Wolbachia bacteria enter the body of Aedes mosquitoes, they can inhibit the Dengue virus that causes dengue fever, rendering the mosquito carrying the dengue virus incapable of transmitting the disease.
At the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology in Hanoi and the Pasteur Institute in Nha Trang, Aedes mosquitoes carrying Wolbachia are raised in cages in separate rooms where temperature and humidity are consistently maintained to suit their development and reproduction, and their health is monitored very closely.
This is an activity under the project "Towards Dengue Elimination in Vietnam" implemented on Tri Nguyen Island, Nha Trang City, Khanh Hoa Province.
Professor Nguyen Tran Hien, Deputy Director of the Project, said that the naturally occurring Aedes mosquitoes on Tri Nguyen Island were captured and inoculated with Wolbachia bacteria, then released back onto the island. Through natural reproduction, these mosquitoes will produce subsequent generations that already carry Wolbachia bacteria in their bodies.
Professor Nguyen Tran Hien stated: "Initial research results from scientists worldwide show that Wolbachia bacteria also have the ability to inhibit the Zika virus in the body of Aedes mosquitoes. Therefore, the Aedes mosquitoes carrying Wolbachia bacteria that the project released on Tri Nguyen Island, in addition to preventing Dengue fever, also have the ability to prevent the spread of the Zika virus."
"Aedes mosquitoes can survive on sugar water and honey, but for mosquito eggs to develop, the female mosquitoes must suck human blood. Therefore, the volunteers participating in the project nurtured them with their own blood," shared Luu Quoc Hung, the insect team leader of the project.
The mosquito breeding "farms" are maintained at the appropriate temperature.
Mosquitoes carrying Wolbachia bacteria, which can prevent dengue fever and Zika, have been released on Tri Nguyen Island, Nha Trang City.
The numerous bumps that appeared on the volunteers' arms after being "fed" by the mosquitoes gradually disappeared after about 3 days.
After 15 minutes, the entire swarm of mosquitoes was full, with the female mosquitoes having larger, rounder bodies.
Mr. Luu Quoc Hung, the project's insect team leader, always has to thoroughly clean his hands where mosquitoes feed on his blood, ensuring "food safety" for them. |
According to Thanhnien.vn
