Chinese Lab Mosquitoes Released
The Chinese government, in collaboration with Guangzhou Wolbaki Biotech Co., Ltd., is releasing millions of lab-bred, Wolbachia-infected male mosquitoes to combat the spread of mosquito-borne diseases, particularly chikungunya, in southern China.6 This effort is part of a broader strategy to reduce wild mosquito populations and prevent outbreaks. The facility produces five million sterile male mosquitoes per week, which are released into targeted areas to mate with wild female Aedes albopictus mosquitoes.6 When these sterile males mate with wild females, the eggs fail to develop due to cytoplasmic incompatibility, a phenomenon caused by the Wolbachia bacteria, rendering them nonviable and unable to hatch.6 This method aims to significantly decrease the local mosquito population, with the potential to reduce numbers by half within three weeks and by over 80% within six to eight weeks.6 The initiative is being implemented in response to an expanding chikungunya outbreak in southeast China, with the U.S. CDC issuing a travel health advisory for the region, including Hong Kong and Macau.6 The technology has been used in previous projects in Guangzhou, including large-scale releases on islands that led to the eradication of local mosquito populations.3 The approach is considered safer and more efficient than traditional insecticide spraying.