To study the intestine of the mosquito

A pilot project of the University of Puerto Rico's Medical Sciences Campus studies the mosquito's gut in order to understand the interaction between mosquito, intestinal microbes and transmitted pathogens, he has been reported in a press release.

] The research, which aims to control the epidemics of mosquito-borne diseases and entitled "The microbiota of the Aedes aegypti mosquito", is one of five research projects conducted at the Collaborative Center for Disease Control.
Research on Health Disparities (IMR) of the UPR.

Puerto Rico, the Aedes aegypti mosquito is endemic and represents a threat to
The population already transmits viruses like: Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika. The
understand the virus's interaction with the microbiota mosquito will help to
new knowledge that can influence mosquito susceptibility
and the ability to transmit viruses, "said Dr. Emilee Colón,
researcher of the "RCMI".

Currently,
there are no drugs or vaccines against viruses transmitted by the
Aedes aegypti mosquito and prevention is the control of
stings and reduction of the mosquito population by eliminating hatcheries
mosquitoes and the use of larvicides and insecticides.

"In
In recent years, Puerto Rico has gone through various outbreaks of transmitted viruses
by the mosquito Aedes aegypti, as the 2013 chikungunya epidemic
to 2014 and the Zika epidemic from 2015 to 2017. We understand that the study
the microbiota will provide new insights into Aedes mosquitoes
aegypti, "adds Dr. Colón.

The study will badyze these captured mosquitoes in traps scattered in areas
to determine the presence of the virus and then characterize its
microbiota The results of this project will determine the composition of
microbiota in the intestine of the mosquito to create long-term tools
which limit the transmission of these viruses.