aedes

“As Zika cases rise and Aedes mosquitoes expand their range, understanding the mechanisms by which they gain a transmission advantage could unlock new strategies for combating arboviruses,” Emami said.

That genetic method has already shown promise to control Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which vector diseases like West Nile virus, Dengue, yellow fever and Zika to humans.

The team from the University of California, Irvine studied Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which spread viruses to around 400 million people a year.

“For example, Aedes mosquitoes thrive in warmer climates and urban areas with standing water, which are increasingly common due to climate-driven flooding and inadequate infrastructure. Warmer temperatures speed up the virus replication within mosquitoes, increasing transmission rates and allowing these diseases to spread to new regions.”

Dengue is mainly transmitted through the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes, which are not common in L.A.