Exploring RNA interference for effective mosquito vector control

Abstract

Mosquitos are a vector for many harmful diseases such as dengue fever, zika, malaria and yellow fever. They are considered to be deadly to humans due to their ability to spread such diseases rapidly and have caused large numbers of deaths worldwide. The current strategy for vector control relies heavily on the use of pesticides. However, increasing resistance to pesticides has given rise to an urgent need for a substitute. RNA interference(RNAi) is a possible candidate to substitute pesticides as an effective way to control the mosquito population. use of RNAi for its application in targeting mosquitoes has become a popular idea. The principle of systemic RNAi treatment describes the uptake of dsRNA via various delivery methods that induces a widespread and persistent suppression of mRNA of the targeted gene. In this study we examined the effects of targeting the Inhibitor of the apoptosis protein 1(IAP1) gene of Aedes aegypti(Ae.aegypti) mosquito larvae with bacteria synthesised dsRNA using two different delivery methods. We also conducted a preliminary study on the effects of soaking mosquito larvae in siRNA of different fragments the IAP1 gene. Our findings revealed that both the dsRNA treatment and siRNA soaking did not have significant effects on the mortality of mosquito larvae.