The world’s largest mosquito factory and its fight against Zika

Emil Lendof

featured

Jun 28, 2016

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World’s Largest Mosquito Factory Aims To Prevent Zika

Considered the world’s largest mosquito factory, the Sun Yat-Sen University-Michigan University Joint Center of Vector Control for Tropical Disease in Guangzhou, China, raises millions of male mosquitoes for research that could prove key to the race to prevent the spread of Zika virus. Getty Images

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Chinese researcher Gan Renxian examines mosquito eggs caught in a trap in the village on Shezai Island. Getty Images

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A lab technician places mosquito pupae into cages in the Mass Production Facility on June 20, 2016. Getty Images

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Chinese technicians put pupae into dishes. Getty Images

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The lab’s mosquitoes are infected with a strain of Wolbachia pipientis, a common bacterium shown to inhibit Zika and related viruses including dengue fever. Getty Images

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A Chinese lab technician pours mosquito pupae into containers. Getty Images

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A Chinese lab technician pours mosquito pupae into containers. Getty Images

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Chinese doctoral student and researcher Zhang Dongjing checks trays of mosquito larvae. Getty Images

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Male and female mosquito larvae are separated in the Mass Production Facility. Getty Images

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Chinese doctoral student and researcher Zhang Dongjing checks trays of mosquito larvae. Getty Images

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A researcher uses a dropper to put mosquito larvae under a microscope at the field lab where the Joint Center is conducting field trials. Getty Images

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A researcher uses a dropper to put mosquito larvae under a microscope. Getty Images

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Chinese doctoral student and researcher Zhang Dongjing checks a container with adult mosquitoes that will be released into the wild. Getty Images

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The lab’s mosquitoes are infected with a strain of Wolbachia pipientis, a common bacterium shown to inhibit Zika and related viruses including dengue fever. Getty Images

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The results so far are hopeful: After a year of research and field trials on the island, the lab claims there is 99 percent suppression of the population of Aedes albopictus or Asia tiger mosquito, the type known to carry Zika virus. Getty Images

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Chinese lab technicians organize containers of adult mosquitoes to be released. Getty Image

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Researchers believe if their method proves successful, it could be applied on a wider scale to eradicate virus-carrying mosquitoes in Zika-affected areas around the world. Getty Images

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Chinese doctoral student and researcher Zhang Dongjing looks at adult mosquitoes under a microscope in the lab. Getty Images

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A lab technician pours animal blood onto a hot plate to feed to mosquitoes. Getty Images

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Adult female mosquitoes are seen under a microscope. Getty Images

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Chinese researcher Gen Renxian rides in a cart as he releases adult mosquitoes on Shezai Island. Getty Images

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