US reviews plan to infect mosquitoes with bacteria to stop disease

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is reviewing an application from the biotechnology start-up MosquitoMate to use the bacterium Wolbachia pipientis as a tool against the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus). The company plans to marketWolbachia as a pesticide — one that kills only mosquitoes, and leaves other insects untouched. The EPA’s decision on the matter will come after a public-comment period that ends on 31 May.





Read More: http://www.nature.com/news/us-reviews-plan-to-infect-mosquitoes-with-bacteria-to-stop-disease-1.19967