Gene-drive suppression of mosquito populations in large cages as a bridge between lab and field.

ABSTRACT: CRISPR-based gene-drives targeting the gene doublesex in the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae effectively suppressed the reproductive capability of mosquito populations reared in small laboratory cages. To bridge the gap between laboratory and the field, this gene-drive technology must be challenged with vector ecology.Here we report the suppressive activity of the gene-drive in age-structured An. gambiae populations in large indoor cages that permit complex feeding and reproductive behaviours.The gene-drive element spreads rapidly through the populations, fully supresses the population within one year and without selecting for resistance to the gene drive. Approximate Bayesian computation allowed retrospective inference of life-history parameters from the large cages and a more accurate p

SUBMITTER: Hammond A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8319305 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature