Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
Genetics. 2022 Jul 4;221(3). doi: 10.1093/genetics/iyac072.
For more than 50 years it has been a dream of medical entomologists and public health workers to control diseases like malaria and dengue fever by modifying, through genetics and other methods, the arthropods that transmit them to humans. A brief synopsis of the history of these efforts as applied to mosquitoes is presented; none proved to be effective in reducing disease prevalence. Only in the last few years have novel approaches been developed or proposed that indicate the long wait may be over. Three recent developments are particularly promising: CRISPR-Cas9 driven genetic modification, shifting naturally occurring allele frequencies, and microbe-based modifications. The last is the furthest along in implementation. Dengue fever incidence has been reduced between 40% and 96% in 4 different regions of the world where Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti have been established in the field. It is not yet clear how sustainable such control programs will prove to be, but there is good reason for optimism. In light of this, the time is ripe for reinvigorated research on vectors, especially genetics. Vector-borne diseases primarily affect under-developed countries and thus have not received the attention they deserve from wealthier countries with well-developed and funded biomedical research establishments.
五十多年来，医学昆虫学家和公共卫生工作者一直梦想通过遗传和其他方法来改变传播疾病的节肢动物，从而控制疟疾和登革热等疾病。本文简要回顾了应用于蚊子的这些努力的历史；没有一种方法被证明能有效降低疾病的流行率。直到最近几年，才开发或提出了一些新的方法，表明漫长的等待可能即将结束。最近有三项进展特别有希望：CRISPR-Cas9 驱动的基因修饰、改变自然发生的等位基因频率和基于微生物的修饰。最后一种方法在实施过程中走得最远。在世界 4 个不同地区，已经在野外建立了携带沃尔巴克氏体的埃及伊蚊，登革热发病率降低了 40%至 96%。目前还不清楚这种控制方案将如何持续下去，但有充分的理由保持乐观。有鉴于此，现在是时候重新加强对病媒，特别是遗传学的研究了。蚊媒传染病主要影响欠发达国家，因此没有得到拥有发达和资金充足的生物医学研究机构的富裕国家的应有重视。
