AsianScientist (Apr. 8, 2015) – A mathematical model suggests that using Wolbachia bacteria to prevent dengue virus transmission could have substantial public health benefits. This research has been published in Science Translational Medicine.
Dengue is a viral infection spread between humans by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Dengue causes flu-like symptoms, including intense headaches and joint pains. A severe form of dengue, called dengue hemorrhagic fever, can cause death. Despite the rising global incidence, there are currently no commercially available vaccines or specific treatments for dengue.
One approach to preventing dengue has been to introduce Wolbachia bacteria into the mosquito population. Under laboratory conditions, certain strains of Wolbachia have shown to inhibit the replication of viruses such as dengue in the mosquito. However, the impact that Wolbachia would have in the wild has been contested.
A team of researchers led by Professors Cameron Simmons from the University of Melbourne has now developed a mathematical model of dengue virus transmission and used the experimental results as a basis to predict how well Wolbachia would reduce the intensity of dengue transmission under a variety of scenarios.
“We did a ‘real world’ experiment and allowed mosquitoes infected with Wolbachia and uninfected mosquitoes to feed on the blood of Vietnamese dengue patients. Our team then measured how efficiently Wolbachia blocked dengue virus infection of the mosquito body and saliva, which in turn stops them from spreading the virus between humans,” Simmons said.
They found that Wolbachia could eliminate dengue transmission in locations where the intensity of transmission is low or moderate. In high transmission settings, Wolbachia would also cause a significant reduction in transmission.
“Our findings are important because they provide realistic measures of the ability of Wolbachia to block transmission of the dengue virus and provide precise projections of its impact on dengue infections,” Simmons said.
“Our results will enable policy makers in dengue-affected countries to make informed decisions on Wolbachia when allocating scarce resources to dengue control,” he added.
Dengue continues to be a major public health problem in Asia and Latin America. Estimates suggest more than 100 million cases occur globally each year.
The article can be found at: Ferguson et al. (2015) Modeling The Impact On Virus Transmission Of Wolbachia-mediated Blocking Of Dengue Virus Infection Of Aedes aegypti.
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Source: The University of Melbourne.
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