The mosquitoes and the bacteria will fight the fever

In Brazil, mosquitoes were released in an attempt to prevent the spread of dengue fever

Scientists in Brazil have released thousands of mosquitoes in Rio de Janeiro infected with a bacteria that is supposed to prevent the spread of dengue fever.

In recent years, more than three million people in Brazil have been infected with dengue fever, and about 800 have died from the disease, which is transmitted by mosquito bites. The researchers, who are participating in a global initiative to eradicate dengue fever, believe that mosquitoes carrying a bacterium of the type Wolbachia in their body do not transmit the dengue viruses, because the bacterium prevents the fever viruses from multiplying in the insect's body. However, even though Wolbachia bacteria live naturally in the intestines of many insects, they do not actually exist in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which spread dengue fever.

Research teams in several places in the world have succeeded in infecting mosquitoes with these bacteria, after proving that the bacteria is not transmitted to humans by the mosquito bite. Now they are releasing these mosquitoes, hoping that soon the mosquitoes infected with the bacteria will become the majority in the wild, reducing the spread of the dangerous fever.