A new avenue to fight against mosquitoes: male deafness

In their research to combat these insects which carry diseases around the world, American researchers from the University of California have made a surprising discovery: deaf male mosquitoes lose all desire to reproduce.

To prevent mosquitoes from breeding, American scientists have created genetically modified mosquitoes. They “disrupted” the DNA of insects with the CRISPR technique known as molecular scissors, that is to say they deleted a gene essential for hearing. Result of the study: these male mosquitoes, totally deaf, locked up with many females, have lost all interest in their peers. Not the slightest approach, no desire to reproduce, zero libido.

The precise mechanisms involved in mosquito reproduction are still poorly understood, but this study shows that hearing plays an essential role in mating. Because what attracts males to females more than anything is the “bzzz” they produce. This little sound of beating wings which annoys humans is what pleases the male mosquito so much and if they don’t hear it, they remain unmoved.

To combat the spread of mosquitoes, the track is considered interesting. These deaf males could be released into the wild in large numbers, to disrupt breeding with females. Similar techniques already exist with mosquitoes rendered sterile. The stakes are high. Mosquitoes transmit yellow fever, Zika virus or dengue fever, which infects 400 million people worldwide each year. And the disease is progressing: mosquitoes are taking advantage of global warming. It has even become a threat in mainland France, which has so far been spared.

A few weeks ago the Health Security Agency (ANSES) warned that it was “fairly likely” that a dengue epidemic will break out in France in the coming years. The authorities have identified nearly 80 so-called indigenous cases in 2024, that is to say contracted directly in mainland France, with no link to risk areas such as the Antilles. A record number.