The Molecular Biology Institute of Paraná (IBMP) and the World Mosquito Program (WMP) inaugurated on Saturday (July 19) Wolbito do Brasil, the world’s largest biofactory specialized in breeding Aedes aegypti mosquitoes inoculated with Wolbachia bacteria, which prevent the development of viruses causing diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, and Zika.
In a statement, the biofactory reported having the capacity to produce 100 million mosquito eggs per week. Initially, the unit will serve only the Ministry of Health, which selects municipalities for implementation of the Wolbachia method based on maps showing the incidence of arboviruses transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes.
The method, which aims to drastically reduce the transmission and treatment costs of these diseases, has been tested in Brazil since 2014, when releases began in neighborhoods of cities in Rio de Janeiro.
The biofactory emphasizes that the method does not involve genetically modified mosquitoes and serves to complement other control strategies and the basic precautions that the population must take to eliminate mosquito breeding sites.
The Molecular Biology Institute of Paraná, a partner of the biofactory, was created through a partnership between the Paraná Technology Institute (Tecpar), linked to the state government, and the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), linked to the Ministry of Health.
Health Minister Alexandre Padilha, who participated in the inauguration, stated that the biofactory positions Brazil as a global leader in this technology.
How the Method Works
Present in 14 countries, the method consists of releasing mosquitoes inoculated with Wolbachia into the environment, where they mate with the local Aedes aegypti population and produce offspring that also carry the bacteria – making them less capable of transmitting dengue, chikungunya, or Zika to humans.
Wolbachia is a genus of bacteria estimated to be present in more than half of the world’s insect species. Since the early 2010s, scientists have successfully created Aedes aegypti mosquitoes infected with Wolbachia strains that do not naturally occur in this species.
In Aedes mosquitoes, these bacteria have demonstrated the ability to prevent the multiplication of several arboviruses transmissible to humans, in addition to giving infected mosquitoes a reproductive advantage over non-infected populations.
According to Fiocruz, it is expected that for every R$ 1 invested, the Brazilian government will save between R$ 43.45 and R$ 549.13 in medications, hospitalizations, and total treatment costs.
Source: Agência Brasil