Mosquitoes as Technologies to Prevent Epidemics

• In Event: Products of Biotecnoscience: Modified Living Beings Used in Health and Agriculture Activities - II

Abstract

One of the characteristics of the Anthropocene is the diminishing of biodiversity, by the introduction of certain species in a non-intentional or intentional way, as in the case of crops, for example. This is the case of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, which was transported from Africa and currently populates the tropical and subtropical regions of the planet. This is also the case of several viruses transmitted by this mosquito, such as the dengue, Zika and chikungunya viruses, which circulate the world carried by humans.
Since the late XIX century and early XX century, when humanity was experiencing yellow fever epidemics, we believe that the encounter between Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, viruses and humans is the main cause of epidemics. Since then, the control of several epidemics relies on the use of technologies to exterminate the population of this mosquito.
Recently, and driven by the 2015-2016 Zika epidemic, new tools have been implemented. These new tools are the result of biotechnologies, such as transgenic mosquitoes and mosquitoes contaminated with bacteria. Unlike previous tools, these biotechnologies are new Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, bred in laboratories, that are released into the environment and begin to inhabit our world. But these technologies are living beings, which have the capacity for reproduction, evolution.
The present study, part of an ongoing PhD thesis, discusses the main characteristics and controversies of these innovative biotechnologies in their implementation environments, especially in the Brazilian case.

Authors

• Claudia Santos Turco, HCTE-UFRJ / FIOCRUZ

• Eduardo Nazareth Paiva, EDUARDO NAZARETH PAIVA