Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Molecular Medicine Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya, Sri Lanka.
Biomed Res Int. 2021 Mar 2;2021:6649038. doi: 10.1155/2021/6649038. eCollection 2021.
Genetic modification offers opportunities to introduce artificially created molecular defence mechanisms to vector mosquitoes to counter diseases causing pathogens such as the dengue virus, malaria parasite, and Zika virus. RNA interference is such a molecular defence mechanism that could be used for this purpose to block the transmission of pathogens among human and animal populations. In our previous study, we engineered a dengue-resistant transgenic using RNAi to turn off the expression of dengue virus serotype genomes to reduce virus transmission, requiring assessment of the fitness of this mosquito with respect to its wild counterpart in the laboratory and semifield conditions.
Developmental and reproductive fitness parameters of TM and WM have assessed under the Arthropod Containment Level 2 conditions, and the antibiotic treatment assays were conducted using co-trimoxazole, amoxicillin, and doxycycline to assess the developmental and reproductive fitness parameters.
A significant reduction of developmental and reproductive fitness parameters was observed in transgenic mosquito compared to wild mosquitoes. However, it was seen in laboratory-scale studies that the fitness of this mosquito has improved significantly in the presence of antibiotics such as co-trimoxazole, amoxicillin, and doxycycline in their feed.
Our data indicate that the transgenic mosquito produced had a reduction of the fitness parameters and it may lead to a subsequent reduction of transgenic vector density over the generations in field applications. However, antibiotics of co-trimoxazole, amoxicillin, and doxycycline have shown the improvement of fitness parameters indicating the usefulness in field release of transgenic mosquitoes.
基因改造为引入人工创建的分子防御机制提供了机会，以对抗携带登革热病毒、疟原虫和寨卡病毒等致病病原体的媒介蚊子。RNA 干扰就是这样一种分子防御机制，可用于阻止病原体在人类和动物种群中的传播。在我们之前的研究中，我们使用 RNAi 工程了一种抗登革热的转基因蚊子，以关闭登革热病毒血清型基因组的表达，从而减少病毒传播，这需要评估这种蚊子相对于其野生对应物在实验室和半野外条件下的适应性。
在虫媒隔离等级 2 条件下评估 TM 和 WM 的发育和生殖适应性参数，并使用复方新诺明、阿莫西林和强力霉素进行抗生素处理实验，以评估发育和生殖适应性参数。
与野生蚊子相比，转基因蚊子的发育和生殖适应性参数显著降低。然而，在实验室规模的研究中，我们发现这种蚊子在抗生素（如复方新诺明、阿莫西林和强力霉素）存在于其饲料中的情况下，其适应性显著提高。
我们的数据表明，所产生的转基因蚊子的适应性参数降低，这可能导致其在田间应用中经过几代后转基因媒介密度的相应降低。然而，复方新诺明、阿莫西林和强力霉素等抗生素已显示出对适应性参数的改善，表明它们在转基因蚊子的野外释放中具有实用性。
