In a groundbreaking advancement, an international team of scientists has developed an automated device that can efficiently separate male and female mosquitoes, marking a significant leap in the fight against mosquito-borne diseases.
Published in the prestigious Science Robotics journal on Wednesday, the research team hails from esteemed institutions such as Michigan State University, Jinan University, and Guangzhou Wolbaki Biotech Co., Ltd.
With climate change and increasing human mobility exacerbating the prevalence of diseases like dengue fever, traditional chemical control methods have proven insufficient, often resulting in environmental pollution and drug resistance, according to Li Yongjun, an associate professor at Jinan University.
Li highlighted the benefits of biological control, stating, \"Studies have shown that releasing male mosquitoes, which do not bite or transmit diseases, to mate with wild female mosquitoes can effectively control the wild mosquito population.\"
Despite the proven effectiveness of this method in various countries, large-scale implementation has been hindered by the challenge of efficiently separating male from female mosquitoes.
Addressing this bottleneck, Gong Juntao, a researcher at Guangzhou Wolbaki Biotech Co., Ltd., revealed that the team has independently developed an automated device capable of stirring, separating, and collecting mosquito pupae with remarkable efficiency. The device can separate over 16 million male mosquitoes with just an eight-hour workday, five days a week, representing a 17-fold increase compared to manual methods.
Gong emphasized the device’s potential, stating, \"Our automated separator has the potential to significantly control tropical mosquito-borne diseases, offering a scalable solution that can be deployed in regions most affected by these illnesses.\"
The innovative device has already been adopted in 18 countries, including the United States, Australia, and Italy, underscoring its global impact and the promise it holds for future disease prevention efforts.
Reference(s):
Scientists achieve breakthrough in controlling mosquito-borne diseases
cgtn.com
