Mosquito Control Strategies Based on Genetic Manipulation

Abstract

Mosquito-borne diseases are becoming a major global health challenge, threatening nearly half the world’s population. Despite the major advances in malaria control, it is still estimated to result in over 400,000 deaths yearly. Additionally, the global incidence of dengue has grown rapidly, and outbreaks of chikungunya and yellow fever have increased in size and frequency since 2014. Given the lack of effective vaccines and therapeutics against many mosquito-borne pathogens, disease control is primarily reliant on sustainable vector control strategies. However, the traditional vector control methods have been largely ineffective, and therefore, the development of innovative control measures against these mosquito-borne diseases is urgently required. Advancements in genetics provide the underlying motivation to develop new genetics-based approaches to combat these diseases. Among them, the sterile insect technique (SIT) is an effective, species-specific, and environmentally benign method for mosquito population suppression. It is based on mosquito mass rearing, radiation sterilization, and inundative release of male mosquitoes. The advent of mosquito transgenesis has paved the way for other novel strategies in mosquito control. One possibility is a release of insects carrying the dominant lethal gene (RIDL), which offers genetic sterilization, genetic sexing, and genetic containment to provide significant cost-effectiveness to the SIT. RNA interference (RNAi) is another powerful tool to inhibit the expression of RNA viruses. The RNA interference pathway is the key component of the innate immune system of mosquitoes. Currently, the use of CRISPR/Cas 9-based gene editing tools has significantly increased the interest in generating mosquitoes to suppress the mosquito population or alter their capacity to transmit diseases. This chapter examines the role of genetic manipulation in developing current and future cutting-edge mosquito control strategies to fight against mosquito-borne diseases.