Sex-Switched Mosquitoes May Help In Fight Against Diseases

cstacy writes: Only the female mosquitoes bite and transmit viral diseases such as Dengue Fever. Scientists have finally discovered the elusive genetic switch called Nix, that determines the sex of these blood sucking insects, and hope to selectively eliminate females to control the spread of diseases. "Nix provides us with exciting opportunities to harness mosquito sex in the fight against infectious diseases because maleness is the ultimate disease-refractory trait," explained Zhijian Jake Tu, an affiliate of the Fralin Life Science Institute and a biochemistry professor from Virginia Tech's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Comments

Re:Why not just kill them all?

[Intrepid imaginaut]

Mosquitoes don't fill any ecological niche that couldn't be filled by a host of other species.

Some bugs just need to die.

Re:China already selectively eliminates females

[antiperimetaparalogo]

the human kind

SEX RATIO (MALE(S)/FEMALE) - at birth:
India: 1.12
China: 1.11
World: 1.07
E.U.: 1.06
U.S.A.: 1.05
source: CIA.

While there are more male than female births in India and China, the difference from the World's average is not so big as many people may thing (note for the "/." SJW's : i don't support killing females... o.k?!)