Transgenic Mosquitoes to Control Vector Borne Diseases

The mosquito borne diseases have achieved the world wide attention due to the high number of cases and deaths reported to WHO annually. Such diseases include malaria and dengue fever. Control of these diseases has been difficult due to drug resistance in parasites (e.g. malaria), insecticide resistance in mosquitoes, lack of effective vaccines and failure of the vector control strategies to minimize human-mosquito contact. As a novel approach for the rising situation, mosquito population replacement strategies and, genetic based mosquito population suppression and elimination strategies such as Release of Insects carrying a Dominant Lethal (RIDL) have been introduced. Both strategies used for the development of transgenic mosquitoes (TMs) to minimize/eliminate the mosquito borne diseases. In this review the development of TMs and their role in controlling diseases is described.