ABC Mosquito Control
Dr Kevin Gorman
Oxitec Ltd, UK
The views and opinions expressed in this
presentation are those of the author and do not
necessarily reflect the official policy or position of
WSAID, The Miami Science Museum or any agency in
Florida or the U.S. government. There have been
limited field trials with this technique. Assumptions
made within the presentation are not reflective of the
position of WSAID, the Miami Science Museum, the
Florida government or any U.S. government entity.
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What is the most
dangerous animal on earth?
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A shark?
A lion?
A venomous snake?
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No - it’s the mosquito!
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Mosquitoes kill over
1 million people in the
world every year…
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...they have a huge impact
on human health
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Mosquito borne diseases:
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Mosquito borne diseases:
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Mosquito borne diseases:
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Mosquito borne diseases:
Yellow
fever
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Mosquito borne diseases:
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Mosquito borne diseases:
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Mosquito borne diseases:
and many
more!
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the problem
So how do we usually
control mosquitoes?
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the problem
We put insecticides in the water
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the problem
…and spray
chemicals in
the air
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the problem
We spray some more…
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the problem
Photo courtesy of Nathan Benn
and some more…
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the problem
…but
Dengue is
still
increasing!
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the problem
2.5 billion people in the world
are at risk
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the problem
No vaccine
No medication
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the solution
We CAN do better…
…a solution is ready
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the solution
We can use ABC
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the solution
Autocidal Biological Control
The pest controls itself!
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the solution
Male mosquitoes do not bite
or spread disease
Only
females do…
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the solution
We can genetically change
males…
…so they
carry a
lethal
gene
…and so we
can recognise them
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the solution
Wild
x
Wild
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the solution
Transgenic
x
Wild
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the solution
Population
More transgenic male mosquitoes
means faster control
No treatment
Time
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the solution
It is effective
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the solution
Transgenic males mate only with
wild female mosquitoes…of the
same species
…other species
are unaffected
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the solution
It is effective
and environmentally
friendly
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the solution
A breakthrough in genetics
providing a simple, effective and
sustainable solution
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ABC– a novel approach to
mosquito management
Thank you!