Q21) Genetically modified sterile mosquitoes are being used in Brazil to control Dengue and Chikungunya. Consider the following statements regarding this.
1) The male mosquito’s bite spreads the disease
2) Sustained release of genetically modified sterile female mosquitoes (OX513A) in the city every week for one year helped cut the transmission rate drastically
3) Dengue is caused by Aedes aegypti mosquito.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
Q21) Genetically modified sterile mosquitoes are being used in Brazil to control Dengue and Chikungunya. Consider the following statements regarding this.
1) The male mosquito’s bite spreads the disease
2) Sustained release of genetically modified sterile female mosquitoes (OX513A) in the city every week for one year helped cut the transmission rate drastically
3) Dengue is caused by Aedes aegypti mosquito.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
The correct option is B 3 only
Ans:21)(b)Expl: The use of genetically engineered mosquitoes to control dengue and chikungunya-causing Aedes aegypti mosquito population in the wild got a shot in the arm in a study undertaken in Juazeiro, northeast Brazil. Researchers successfully reduced the A. aegypti population in the wild by as much as 95 per cent, thus effectively preventing dengue and chikungunya epidemic disease. The study was carried out in 2011-12.
Dengue resurfaced in Brazil in 1981, and it is estimated that 16 million dengue infections occur every year. Over 390 million dengue cases are reported annually across the world. Sustained release of genetically modified sterile male mosquitoes (OX513A) in the city every week for one year helped cut the transmission rate drastically.
The transgenic mosquitoes compete with the naturally occurring A. aegypti male mosquitoes to mate with the females. With sustained release, the number of transgenic mosquitoes outnumbered and suppressed the naturally occurring wild males.
The offspring from the mating of transgenic male A. aegypti mosquitoes with female mosquitoes die before adulthood (at the larval or pupal stage) as a consequence of transgenic modification. As a result, the number of female mosquitoes that can cause dengue falls dramatically. Since the male mosquitoes do not bite humans, the release of transgenic males will not increase the risk of dengue.
3 only
Ans:21)(b)Expl: The use of genetically engineered mosquitoes to control dengue and chikungunya-causing Aedes aegypti mosquito population in the wild got a shot in the arm in a study undertaken in Juazeiro, northeast Brazil. Researchers successfully reduced the A. aegypti population in the wild by as much as 95 per cent, thus effectively preventing dengue and chikungunya epidemic disease. The study was carried out in 2011-12.
Dengue resurfaced in Brazil in 1981, and it is estimated that 16 million dengue infections occur every year. Over 390 million dengue cases are reported annually across the world. Sustained release of genetically modified sterile male mosquitoes (OX513A) in the city every week for one year helped cut the transmission rate drastically.
The transgenic mosquitoes compete with the naturally occurring A. aegypti male mosquitoes to mate with the females. With sustained release, the number of transgenic mosquitoes outnumbered and suppressed the naturally occurring wild males.
The offspring from the mating of transgenic male A. aegypti mosquitoes with female mosquitoes die before adulthood (at the larval or pupal stage) as a consequence of transgenic modification. As a result, the number of female mosquitoes that can cause dengue falls dramatically. Since the male mosquitoes do not bite humans, the release of transgenic males will not increase the risk of dengue.
