Word: aegypti
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Most duets are blood-chillingly bad ("A Little Bit Country, A Little Bit Rock and Roll" by Donny and Marie Osmond springs to mind), and doubtless the mosquito's mating song ranks high among such perturbations. But the identification of a particular love ballad performed by Aedes aegypti, the mosquito responsible for spreading dengue and yellow fevers, has one group of Cornell University scientists whistling happily along...
...opened a new window of understanding on what mosquitoes are capable of doing," says Ronald Hoy, a professor of neurobiology and behavior at Cornell who participated in the research. The study may also present a new way of controlling the A. aegypti population. (See the top 10 animal stories...
...That's because the mosquito that infects most people with dengue, the striped Aedes aegypti, does better in warm, wet weather. Regions experiencing rising temperatures and longer rainy seasons are seeing large outbreaks year after year, and what has previously been thought of as a tropical disease is popping up in more temperate regions. Nepal and Bhutan saw their first cases in recent years, as did isolated spots such as Easter Island. Today, an estimated 2.5 billion people live in areas where dengue is endemic. The WHO expects millions more will be added in coming years. "Dengue is an evolving...
...doing the job alone. As more and more people migrate to cities, they create additional opportunities for the mosquito to spread the virus. The problem is particularly acute in developing countries, where inadequate utilities mean residents must store water in jars and tanks - prime breeding grounds for the Aedes aegypti. Increasing air travel is also a factor as infected fliers spread the disease quickly worldwide. "It's simplistic to suggest that the increasing outbreak is solely caused by climate change," says Simon Hales, a senior research fellow at New Zealand's University of Otago. "But those who would suggest that...
...With a vaccine not exactly at the front of drug companies' R.-and-D. line, dengue prevention comes down to mosquito prevention. "If you control the mosquito, you control the spread," says Arthur. Unlike the malarial mosquito and vampires, the Aedes aegypti only bites during the day. Keep your home free of potential mosquito-breeding grounds by clearing out any stagnant-water containers such as used tires. Once confined to the tropics, dengue looks to be spreading to new areas in Asia, as the recent Hong Kong outbreak shows. The best we can do is not put out the welcome...