Health: Mosquitoes with “toxic” sperm against tropical diseases

“Toxic” sperm from genetically modified mosquitoes could help fight the transmission of tropical diseases, Australian scientists explain in a study published Tuesday.

Their technique, known as the “toxic male”, consists of breeding mosquitoes whose sperm contains venomous proteins, fatal for females after mating.

The objective is thus to kill populations of female insects, which are the only ones to bite and suck blood with the risk of inoculating their victims with potentially lethal infectious diseases such as malaria or dengue fever.

“Transforming the way we manage pests”

According to scientist Sam Beach of Australia’s Macquarie University, this method “could work as quickly as pesticides, without harming beneficial species.”

“This innovative solution could transform the way we manage pests, offering hope for healthier communities and a more sustainable future,” adds the expert, participating in this study published in the journal Nature Communications on Tuesday evening.

The first tests, to prove the concept, focused on vinegar flies, a species commonly used in the laboratory due to its short lifespan. Female subjects who mated with “toxic” males saw their life expectancy significantly reduced, scientists report.

Manipulating the DNA of organisms

Maciej Maselko, another researcher at Macquarie University, said the next step was to carry out tests on mosquitoes, “to be sure that there is no risk to humans or other non-target species.

Genetic engineering, which consists of manipulating the DNA of organisms, is a technique long used to control populations of mosquitoes responsible for transmitting diseases, in particular by rendering cohorts of males sterile.

But computer simulations show that the “toxic” method can be much more effective, says the team of scientists.

As for the production of genetically modified mosquitoes, it could be carried out by playing on the modalities of “gene expression”, so that in the laboratory the females can be fertilized without succumbing themselves.

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