By: Vibhu and Bhavana Ambil Wolbachia and Dengue By: Vibhu and Bhavana Ambil

What is Dengue Fever ? Dengue Fever is a sub-tropical and tropical disease that affects 2.4 million people each year. About half the world’s population is now at risk. In the US, the southeast population is the most at risk. Dengue is transmitted to humans through a mosquito called , Aedes Aegypti (a vector), which mainly resides in urban and suburban areas. There is currently no cure for Dengue, however, if detected in the early stages, there is a higher chance of survival It causes flu like symptoms such as fever ,rashes, headache and joint pain. A graph we made using the data from our hospital records

What it does to your body ? The dengue virus is injected into the bloodstream by the mosquito It then affects the surrounding skin cells, causing rashes It also contaminates an important immune cell, the Langerhans Cell. It prevents the body from detecting the virus The virus infects of bone marrow megakaryocytes causing drop in platelets- thrombocytopenia

Wolbachia and it’s Use EliminateDengue is a research program that has been working to end the spread of dengue fever with the help of a bacteria , Wolbachia Melophagi. Wolbachia is naturally present in 60% of all insects, but not Aedes Aegypti. EliminateDengue, after long research, found that, when wolbachia was injected into Aedes Aegypti, the dengue virus could not multiply. Wolbachia causes premature death of the Dengue Virus. This was an exciting discovery . If Wolbachia is inserted into a female Aedes Aegypti mosquito who mates with another mosquito ,then their eggs will have Wolbachia. This process is called Cytoplasmic Incompatibility.

Cytoplasmic Incompatibility When a male with Wolbachia mates with a female without Wolbachia, their eggs will not hatch. This ensures that Wolbachia is present in every mosquito. The spread of Wolbachia from mosquito to mosquito improves the fitness of bacteria, so it can survive against adaptations by the Dengue Virus.

The Cost $ Half the process is natural mating that does not require a cost. The cost factor only plays in when it is needed to inject the wolbachia into the mosquitos. EliminateDengue has not stated the dollar amount for their research and execution, however they have said that it is low cost. Insecticide base programs are more expensive. EliminateDengue is funded mainly by The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health through Grand Challenges in Global Health Initiative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Benefits The use of Wolbachia provides a means of biocontrol that is both pesticide-free and poses minimal environmental safety concerns. Previously, trucks and insecticides were sprayed to control dengue- and it never worked. This is because Aedes Aegypti hides under beds and in dark places where the insecticides never reached. These chemicals were not only ineffective but also polluted the environment and caused a loss in the species of other insects.

Career Implications The main career areas involved are : Mosquito Biology :Mosquito Biologist Ecology :Ecologist Dengue Epidemiology and Control :Epidemiologist Health Education and Promotion :Marketing Director/ Specialist Molecular Science :Molecular Scientist Microbiology :Microbiologist Immunology :Immunologist Population Biology :Population Biologist Genetics (wolbachia genetics) : Researcher/Entomologist

Impact on Health Care Every year dengue occupies 2.4 million hospital beds.This uses a lot of resources and those beds could be used to treat other patients as well. With EliminateDengue’s approach, the spread can be prevented. Not only is this approach used for Dengue Fever ,but also to other disease carrying mosquitoes. Researchers are currently attempting to adopt this approach with mosquitoes that transmit malaria, lymphatic filariasis ,West Nile Virus and Ross River fever. All those diseases also cause a lot of deaths and with this innovation they can be prevented.

Sources www.deadlydengue.com (our website) www.eliminatedengue.com www.nature.com https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ErcwogWbIA www.onlymyhealth.com www.careercenter.tamu.edu www.governmentjobs.com https://www.google.com/url?url=http://scholar.google.com/scholar_url% https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=5&cad=rja https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web