SuaraCianjur.Id- Mosquitoes are insects that are often identified as disturbing human health. In addition to biting and spreading disease, mosquitoes can also trigger allergies.
However, now there have been new breakthroughs in prevention spread of viruses hemorrhagic fever through mosquitoes, namely by utilizing a bacterium named Wolbachia.
Wolbachia is a type of bacteria that can live inside mosquitoes. This bacterium was discovered in 1924 by a scientist named Hertig and Wolbach, who found this bacterium living in the body of the Culex pipiens mosquito.
Wolbachia is unique in that it can affect various aspects of mosquito life, such as reproduction, immunity and health.
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One of the interesting things about Wolbachia is its ability to prevent the spread of viruses. Wolbachia can infect mosquitoes and make them immune to the virus.
This happens because Wolbachia makes mosquitoes produce proteins that can fight viruses. In addition, Wolbachia can also block the virus so that the virus cannot reproduce in the mosquito’s body.
Recent studies have shown that mosquitoes infected with Wolbachia are not only immune to the dengue virus, but also to other viruses such as Zika, chikungunyaand yellow virus.
Therefore, by infecting mosquitoes with Wolbachia, we can minimize the possibility of outbreaks of viruses spread by mosquitoes.
Attempts to infect mosquitoes with Wolbachia have been carried out in various countries, including Indonesia. In 2017, a mosquito control program by infecting mosquitoes with Wolbachia was implemented in the City of Yogyakarta and the City of Bima.
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The results were very encouraging, namely successfully suppressing the mosquito population by up to 80 percent and reducing the number of dengue virus infections by up to 77 percent.
(*/Haekal)
