New solutions against the dengue global threat: opportunities for Wolbachia interventions

Reliance on traditional vector control methods, such as insecticides and “clean up” source reduction efforts for reducing mosquito breeding sites, has proven increasingly ineffective and costly in the battle against dengue. The Wolbachia-based mosquito replacement strategy, which replaces wild mosqu...

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Main Authors: Gabriela Paz-Bailey, Daniel B. Jernigan, Kayla Laserson, Emily Zielinski-Gutierrez, Lyle Petersen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-08-01
Series:International Journal of Infectious Diseases
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1201971225001468
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author Gabriela Paz-Bailey
Daniel B. Jernigan
Kayla Laserson
Emily Zielinski-Gutierrez
Lyle Petersen
author_facet Gabriela Paz-Bailey
Daniel B. Jernigan
Kayla Laserson
Emily Zielinski-Gutierrez
Lyle Petersen
author_sort Gabriela Paz-Bailey
collection DOAJ
description Reliance on traditional vector control methods, such as insecticides and “clean up” source reduction efforts for reducing mosquito breeding sites, has proven increasingly ineffective and costly in the battle against dengue. The Wolbachia-based mosquito replacement strategy, which replaces wild mosquitoes with mosquitoes trans-infected with Wolbachia bacteria, preventing up to 77% dengue transmission, represents an advancement in prevention. Integrating this approach into current routine dengue control efforts could reduce dengue incidence. However, challenges such as implementation costs, the need for country ownership, alignment of released mosquitoes with local mosquito populations, increased education and sensitization for government authorities and the public on the benefits of Wolbachia, identifying international funding partners, and recognizing areas where the strategy may be less effective due to environmental or socio-political factors must be addressed. Furthermore, Wolbachia replacement must focus in areas with high population density and high dengue incidence because it is not feasible to cover all endemic areas. Establishing robust surveillance systems to monitor efficacy against different dengue serotypes is also critical. Despite these challenges, the Wolbachia strategy is the one of the most promising developments in dengue prevention to date. By complementing this approach with effective vaccines, we have the unprecedented opportunity to significantly reduce dengue.
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publishDate 2025-08-01
publisher Elsevier
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series International Journal of Infectious Diseases
spelling doaj-art-0ebfd13ad21b4a64a3245f035f4a6d6c2025-08-20T02:34:16ZengElsevierInternational Journal of Infectious Diseases1201-97122025-08-0115710792310.1016/j.ijid.2025.107923New solutions against the dengue global threat: opportunities for Wolbachia interventionsGabriela Paz-Bailey0Daniel B. Jernigan1Kayla Laserson2Emily Zielinski-Gutierrez3Lyle Petersen4Corresponding author: (G. Paz-Bailey); Tel. 404–639–4451.; US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GAUS Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GAUS Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GAUS Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GAUS Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GAReliance on traditional vector control methods, such as insecticides and “clean up” source reduction efforts for reducing mosquito breeding sites, has proven increasingly ineffective and costly in the battle against dengue. The Wolbachia-based mosquito replacement strategy, which replaces wild mosquitoes with mosquitoes trans-infected with Wolbachia bacteria, preventing up to 77% dengue transmission, represents an advancement in prevention. Integrating this approach into current routine dengue control efforts could reduce dengue incidence. However, challenges such as implementation costs, the need for country ownership, alignment of released mosquitoes with local mosquito populations, increased education and sensitization for government authorities and the public on the benefits of Wolbachia, identifying international funding partners, and recognizing areas where the strategy may be less effective due to environmental or socio-political factors must be addressed. Furthermore, Wolbachia replacement must focus in areas with high population density and high dengue incidence because it is not feasible to cover all endemic areas. Establishing robust surveillance systems to monitor efficacy against different dengue serotypes is also critical. Despite these challenges, the Wolbachia strategy is the one of the most promising developments in dengue prevention to date. By complementing this approach with effective vaccines, we have the unprecedented opportunity to significantly reduce dengue.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1201971225001468WolbachiaAedes aegyptiDengueVector controlPreventionNovel interventions
spellingShingle Gabriela Paz-Bailey
Daniel B. Jernigan
Kayla Laserson
Emily Zielinski-Gutierrez
Lyle Petersen
New solutions against the dengue global threat: opportunities for Wolbachia interventions
International Journal of Infectious Diseases
Wolbachia
Aedes aegypti
Dengue
Vector control
Prevention
Novel interventions
title New solutions against the dengue global threat: opportunities for Wolbachia interventions
title_full New solutions against the dengue global threat: opportunities for Wolbachia interventions
title_fullStr New solutions against the dengue global threat: opportunities for Wolbachia interventions
title_full_unstemmed New solutions against the dengue global threat: opportunities for Wolbachia interventions
title_short New solutions against the dengue global threat: opportunities for Wolbachia interventions
title_sort new solutions against the dengue global threat opportunities for wolbachia interventions
topic Wolbachia
Aedes aegypti
Dengue
Vector control
Prevention
Novel interventions
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1201971225001468
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AT kaylalaserson newsolutionsagainstthedengueglobalthreatopportunitiesforwolbachiainterventions
AT emilyzielinskigutierrez newsolutionsagainstthedengueglobalthreatopportunitiesforwolbachiainterventions
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