MICROBIOLOGY 2420 TED.

COM PROJECT

STUDENT NAME: JOSELYNE CASTILLO

TOPIC: A secret weapon against ZIKA and other mosquito-borne diseases

LINK:https://www.ted.com/talks/nina_fedoroff_a_secret_weapon_against_zika_and_other_mos
quito_borne_diseases/transcript

Back in the days when genetic engineering is out of our vocabulary, the small pox,

tuberculosis and other “almost extinct” diseases took its toll in most deaths throughout the

century. But as good as they get almost get eradicated, certain new breeds of viruses are also on

the rise, this time, mosquito-borne diseases caused by the Zika virus. The only way to prevent

the spread of the disease brought about by the Zika virus is to prevent its vector, the Aedes

aegypti to breed by spraying the surroundings with insecticides.

It is being remembered a couple of years ago that the World Health Organization

confirmed the virus in Brazil. It all started with reports of Guillain-Barre syndrome and

pregnant women giving birth to babies with birth defects and poor pregnancy results. Although

the most typical symptoms of Zika virus disease are rash, joint pain, fever, and red eyes, poor

management of these may lead to life-ling complications.

So scientists introduced biological control. In this way, the mosquitoes carrying Zika

virus won't be able to produce their progeny as the genetically modified mosquitoes particularly

the male, would hinder the female eggs to develop. These groups have been working on several

different mechanisms to create GM mosquitoes that will mate with wild type females of the same

species, and prevent those from producing another generation. That work is already well

underway and has delivered impressive results in the lab and in a few small field trials.

Although it is fairly expensive, this breakthrough can be the answer to the mass

destruction of vector-borne diseases. This is environment-friendly since there would be no

chemicals involved. Hopefully, in five years’ time, the US Regulations would be enlightened that

not all genetically modified organisms can pose a threat to humanity. Who knows, it might save

us too?