Before the Zika virus made headlines across the nation, entomologists at Texas A&M AgriLife Research put a plan into motion that could affect how we handle mosquito-borne illnesses in the future.
Zach Adelman and Kevin Myles, specialists in arthropod-borne viruses, are working to discover just how mosquitos carry viruses like West Nile and Zika and how we can possibly prevent that transmission in the future.
David Ragsdale, professor and head of Texas A&M University’s entomology department, tells the Bryan-College Station Eagle, Adelman and Myles’ research could potentially prevent Zika, dengue and other new viruses that are carried by mosquitoes and similar insects.
As they study mosquito biology, they hope to learn more about the insect’s immune system and genetics.
Adelman tells The Eagle, the lab is exploring the possibility of modifying genes that could keep mosquitoes from spreading the disease.
There’s also a possibility the research can be used to produce only male mosquitoes to prevent Zika’s spread.
The lab will also focus on the Zika virus itself. Their goal is to hopefully find a way to keep the virus from replicating and potentially develop a Zika vaccine against Zika.