Published: Just now
Scientists have discovered mosquitoes in Cambodia and Vietnam that are super-resistant to pesticides, Vetenskapsradion reports.
The concern now is that the mutated mosquitoes will spread across the world in anticipation of new, broader insecticides.
It is about the mosquito species Aedis aegypti, which spreads diseases such as yellow fever, Zika and chikungunya. The researchers have now discovered that it is a mutation, a change in the mosquito’s genetic mass that has meant that the parts of the nervous system that are usually knocked out by pesticides are now instead left untouched.
– It is worrying in that way that super-resistant mosquito populations like this have probably never been seen before, and the concern is that they can spread from Cambodia and Vietnam, and further across Asia and perhaps finally reach Africa and southern Europe, says mosquito researcher Marcus Stensmyr at Lund University, to the radio.
Therefore, other types of insecticides are now needed – and quickly.
– We have a great need to get other insecticides that we can use to control mosquitoes and other disease-carrying insects or pests. We need a wider arsenal of weapons to use, so to speak, says Marcus Stensmyr.