Isis Spin-out Oxitec Reports a 96% Suppression of the Dengue Mosquito in Brazilian Trials

22nd May 2013

Oxitec’s ground-breaking approach to pest control has again been demonstrated in a further trial carried out by Moscamed in Brazil. In this trial Moscamed achieved a 96% suppression of the dengue mosquito in the village of Mandacaru, Bahia state, Brazil.

Scientists from Oxitec together with Moscamed and the University of Sao Paulo, Oxitec’s partners in Brazil, are collaborating to carry out field demonstrations of Oxitec’s technology against the dengue mosquito, Aedes aegypti. In Mandacaru, a village near the city of Juazeiro, releases of the genetically engineered ‘sterile’ OX513A mosquitoes resulted in a 96% reduction of the wild mosquito population in the target area after only 6 months. This level of suppression was maintained for a further 7 months using continued releases, at reduced rates, to avoid re-infestation. Almost 3,000 people were protected from the dengue mosquito during this period.

Oxitec was spun out of Oxford University Innovation in 2002 and is pioneering a better approach to tackling dengue fever and damaging agricultural pests. Oxitec has used advanced genetics to develop a new solution to controlling populations of the dengue mosquito and other harmful insects in a way that is sustainable, environmentally friendly and cost-effective.

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