1. What is Wolbachia?
Wolbachia is a natural bacterium found in insect species such as fruit flies, butterflies, and dragonflies,[1] but it does not naturally exist in the Aedes aegypti mosquito—the primary vector that transmits dengue fever. When introduced into the Aedes aegypti mosquito, Wolbachia has the ability to inhibit or block the invasion and replication of the dengue virus.[2]
2. Mechanism of Dengue Fever Prevention by Wolbachia
· Virus inhibition: Wolbachia competes for resources within mosquito cells, reducing the ability of the dengue virus to develop and be transmitted to humans. [3]
· Natural transmission: When a female mosquito carrying Wolbachia mates, all offspring inherit the bacterium, helping the Wolbachia-infected mosquito population increase naturally without the need for continuous releases.
· Reduction of disease-transmitting mosquitoes: If a Wolbachia-infected male mosquito mates with an uninfected female mosquito, the eggs do not hatch, contributing to a decrease in the population of mosquitoes that can transmit disease.
3. Wolbachia Effectiveness Worldwide
· Indonesia: A randomized controlled trial in Yogyakarta showed that releasing Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes resulted in a 77% reduction in dengue cases and an 86% reduction in dengue-related hospitalizations compared to areas without mosquito releases.[4]
· Brazil, Australia, Singapore: Large-scale projects in these countries reported a significant decrease in dengue cases, ranging from 38% to 88% reduction after implementing Wolbachia.[5]
· WHO Recognition: The World Health Organization (WHO) has evaluated the Wolbachia method as a valuable public health tool for dengue prevention and recommends expanding its application.[6]
4. Application in Vietnam
· Pilot projects in Nha Trang, Binh Duong, and Tien Giang: Wolbachia mosquito release projects in Vietnam have shown promising results, with a significant reduction in dengue cases in the intervention areas compared to neighboring regions without the intervention.[7, 8]
· Economic and safety aspects: Economic studies indicate that deploying Wolbachia in urban areas with a high dengue burden in Vietnam is a cost-effective solution, providing long-term health and economic benefits.[9]
· Biosafety: Wolbachia is only transmitted among insects and does not harm humans, animals, or the environment. It is not a genetically modified organism.[2]
Conclusion
The Wolbachia method is an advanced, safe, and effective scientific solution for dengue fever prevention. Expanding the application of this method promises to help reduce the disease burden, sustainably protect public health, and be environmentally friendly.
Compiled and edited by: Le Minh Dat, MD, Msc (email: lmd@vpha.org.vn)
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References:
1. Ross, P.A., et al., An elusive endosymbiont: Does Wolbachia occur naturally in Aedes aegypti? Ecol Evol, 2020. 10(3): p. 1581-1591.
2. Fox, T., et al., Wolbachia-carrying Aedes mosquitoes for preventing dengue infection. Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2024. 4(4): p. Cd015636.
3. Mushtaq, I., M.S. Sarwar, and I. Munzoor, A comprehensive review of Wolbachia-mediated mechanisms to control dengue virus transmission in Aedes aegypti through innate immune pathways. Frontiers in Immunology, 2024. 15: p. 1434003.
4. Utarini, A., et al., Efficacy of Wolbachia-Infected Mosquito Deployments for the Control of Dengue. N Engl J Med, 2021. 384(23): p. 2177-2186.
5. Paz-Bailey, G., et al., New solutions against the dengue global threat: opportunities for Wolbachia interventions. International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2025: p. 107923.
6. Oganization, W.H., GLOBAL STRATEGY FOR DENGUE PREVENTION AND CONTROL. 2012.
7. Giang, C.t.t.đ.t.t.T. Tiền Giang: Hoàn thành giai đoạn thả muỗi trong khuôn khổ Dự án Wolbachia. 2022 [cited 2025 ngày 04 tháng 07]; Available from: https://tiengiang.gov.vn/chi-tiet-tin?%2Ftien-giang-hoan-thanh-giai-oan-tha-muoi-trong-khuon-kho-du-an-wolbachia%2F46045449.
8. news, K.H. Wolbachia-infected mosquito release shows encouraging results. 2019 [cited 2025 ngày 04 tháng 07]; Available from: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/english/socio_politic/201908/wolbachia-infected-mosquito-release-shows-encouraging-results-8126469/.
9. Turner, H.C., et al., An economic evaluation of Wolbachia deployments for dengue control in Vietnam. PLoS Negl Trop Dis, 2023. 17(5): p. e0011356.