Tiny terror meets its match
Scientists battling the country's largest chikungunya epidemic are releasing swarms of giant cannibal mosquitoes whose larvae devour the smaller insects spreading the debilitating disease.
These so-called 'elephant mosquitoes', measuring nearly 2cm in length, are voracious predators.
Public health experts hope these unusual allies will become unlikely heroes in stopping the painful, fast-moving virus in the southern province of Guangdong.
With more than 6,000 infections reported in just three weeks in Foshan alone, authorities are also reviving familiar tactics from the Covid-19 playbook, including mass polymerase chain reaction testing, isolation of infected residents and neighbourhood-wide disinfection campaigns.
Yet it's the unconventional methods – giant mosquitoes – that underscore the desperation of officials confronting an unprecedented outbreak.
The larvae of these so-called elephant mosquitoes, also known as Toxorhynchites splendens, is released by a research team from Sun Yat-sen University's Zhongshan School of Medicine in Guangdong.
They don't bite humans but prey on Aedes mosquitoes – the primary vectors of chikungunya, dengue, Zika and yellow fever.
Foshan, a sprawling city in central Guangdong, is deploying another tool: a local variety of fish that eats mosquito eggs and larvae. More than 5,000 of the fish have been released into city ponds and rivers.
The city has designated 53 hospitals for chikungunya treatment, offering more than 3,600 beds equipped with mosquito nets and plans to expand capacity, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
In nearby Guangzhou, officials published a risk map of all 120 communities and launched a week-long campaign involving mosquito spraying twice a day.
One larva of the elephant mosquito can consume up to 100 Aedes, according to Zhang Dongjing, associate professor and technical director of a 'mosquito factory' linked to Sun Yat-sen University. — Bloomberg
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
13 hours ago
- The Star
Chikungunya might be about to break out worldwide
The A. aegypti mosquito can transmit both the dengue and chikungunya viruses. — Filepic The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on July 22 (2025) that a major chikungunya virus epidemic risks sweeping around the globe, calling for urgent action to prevent it. The United Nations health agency said it was picking up exactly the same early warning signs as in a major outbreak two decades ago and wants to prevent a repeat. Chikungunya is a mosquito- borne viral disease that causes fever and severe joint pain, which is often debilitating. In some cases, it can be deadly. 'Chikungunya is not a disease that is widely known, but it has been detected and transmitted in 119 countries globally, putting 5.6 billion people at risk,' said WHO infectious diseases epidemiologist Dr Diana Rojas Alvarez. She recalled how from 2004 to 2005, a major chikungunya epidemic swept across the Indian Ocean, hitting small island territories before spreading globally and affecting almost half a million people. 'Today, WHO is seeing the same pattern emerge; since the beginning of 2025, Reunion, Mayotte and Mauritius have all reported major chikungunya outbreaks. 'One-third of the population of Reunion is estimated to have been infected already,' she said during a press briefing in Geneva, Switzerland. The symptoms of chikungunya are similar to those of dengue fever and Zika virus disease, making it difficult to diagnose, according to the WHO. Dr Rojas Alvarez said that like 20 years ago, the virus is now spreading to other places in the region, such as Madagascar, Somalia and Kenya. 'Epidemic transmission is also occurring in south Asia,' she added. In Europe, imported cases have also been reported, linked with the outbreak in the Indian Ocean islands. Local transmission has been reported in France and suspected cases detected in Italy. 'Because these patterns of transmission were seen in the outbreak from 2004 onwards, WHO is calling for urgent action to prevent history from repeating itself,' said Dr Rojas Alvarez. She noted that the case fatality (death) rate was less than 1%, 'but when you start counting millions of cases, that 1% can be thousands' of deaths. 'We are raising the alarm early so countries can prepare early, detect and strengthen all the capacities to avoid going through very large outbreaks.' Dr Rojas Alvarez explained that in regions where populations have little or no immunity, the virus can quickly cause significant epidemics, affecting up to three-quarters of the population. Chikungunya virus is transmitted to humans by the bites of infected female mosquitoes, most commonly Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. The latter, which is known as the tiger mosquito, is venturing farther north as the world warms because of human-driven climate change. They bite primarily during daylight hours, with peak activity often in the early morning and late afternoon. The WHO urged people to protect themselves through measures like using mosquito repellent and not leaving water to stagnate in containers such as buckets, where mosquitoes can breed. – AFP
The Star
17 hours ago
- The Star
Giving mangosteen ‘queen treatment' to reverse declining yield
Growing effort: Mardi is studying seedling growth, with trials on Mesta mangosteen seedlings. PETALING JAYA: The Agriculture and Food Security Ministry is considering pairing Musang King durian and mangosteen as Malaysia's official 'king' and 'queen' of fruits, following concerns over the decline in mangosteen production in recent years. Agriculture Department director-general Datuk Nor Sam Alwi said mangosteen output fell from 23,297 tonnes in 2020 to 22,073 tonnes in 2023 due to a range of factors. 'Shifting rainfall patterns and rising temperatures disrupted flowering and fruit-setting, leading to inconsistent yields and lower fruit quality,' she said when contacted. However, she noted that preliminary data for 2024 indicates a significant recovery, with production rising to 30,231 tonnes. Nor Sam said movement restrictions and a shortage of foreign labour during the Covid-19 pandemic further hampered harvesting and orchard maintenance in 2020 and 2021. The crop also became increasingly vulnerable to translucent flesh disorder and gamboge disorder, which are physiological issues affecting fruit quality. 'Mangosteen has a long juvenile phase, taking more than six years to reach full production. 'This discourages investment, especially when compared to faster-yielding and more profitable crops like durian,' she added. In a written reply to The Star, the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (Mardi) said it is actively conducting research and development (R&D) to improve mangosteen yields and address production challenges. Among its key initiatives is the conservation of genetic resources. Mardi maintains a wide collection of tropical fruit varieties, including from the Garcinia genus, to which mangosteen belongs, in field genebanks across its research stations for future breeding programmes and cultivar improvements. To boost productivity, Mardi has tested the application of paclobutrazol, followed by potassium nitrate or Bicomine, at its Sintok station in Kedah. The treatment significantly improved flowering and fruiting compared to untreated trees. To address labour shortages, Mardi is also researching manpower required to harvest mangosteens at various maturity stages. This work supports the development of mechanical harvesting tools to reduce dependence on manual labour and enable commercial-scale operations. Mardi is also studying seedling growth, with trials on Mesta mangosteen seedlings using different growing media aim to improve early development and support stronger orchard establishment. Although not mangosteen-specific, Mardi's broader R&D in climate-resilient agriculture – applied to crops such as paddy, mango, pineapple and durian – is likely to benefit mangosteen cultivation as well. Orchard owner Edmond Chow said growing mangosteen requires just as much time and cost as durian but offers far lower returns. 'It takes seven to 10 years for a mangosteen tree to bear fruit, just like durian. But while Musang King sells for RM30 to RM50 per kg, mangosteen only fetches RM8 to RM9.' Kuala Lumpur Fruits Wholesalers' Association president Chin Nyuk Moy said Malaysia still imports mangosteens, mainly from Thailand and Indonesia, and occasionally from China. 'Local mangosteens are now hard to come by. Some orchards in Raub still grow the Japan variety, but the days when mangosteens appeared during durian season are mostly over,' she said. 'With low yields, short shelf life and limited demand, mangosteens remain pricey – with some imported ones costing RM15 to RM20 per kg,' she added.
New Straits Times
2 days ago
- New Straits Times
Pfizer, BioNTech lose UK appeal to Moderna in Covid-19 vaccine patent fight
LONDON: US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and German firm BioNTech lost Friday a court appeal in the latest step of a multi-million pound battle against US rival Moderna over the Covid-19 vaccine. The Appeals Court in London upheld an earlier UK court decision in the long-running battle between the global pharma firms. It found that one of the European patents held by Moderna was invalid, but that a second one had been broken by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech. "The judge made no error of law or principle" in the ruling handed down in July 2024, the Appeal Court judges wrote Friday, dismissing the appeal brought by the two companies. Pfizer quickly said it will appeal Friday's ruling to Britain's Supreme Court. "Today's UK Court of Appeal's decision does not change our unwavering stance that this patent is invalid," Pfizer said in a statement. "This decision has no immediate impact on Pfizer and BioNTech." Pfizer and BioNTech had argued that both the patents cited by Moderna were invalid, and neither had been infringed. Friday's decision could have wide implications for other cases involving the huge pharma companies in the United States, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Ireland. Moderna said in a statement it was pleased with Friday's ruling and would "continue to pursue and enforce its patent rights globally to protect its innovative mRNA technology." A UK court was told last year the firms had spent £19 million (US$25 million) fighting their legal battles. In 2020, Pfizer and BioNTech's vaccine became the first ever mRNA vaccine approved for widespread use, and was swiftly deployed to combat the Covid pandemic. Scientists believe mRNA vaccines, which provoke an immune response by delivering genetic molecules containing the code for key parts of a pathogen into human cells, could be a game-changer against many diseases. Traditional vaccines contain some form of the dead or inactivated target virus. Since the virus need not be grown in the lab, mRNA vaccines can in theory be developed at scale more quickly than traditional vaccines. In March, a German court in Duesseldorf also found Pfizer and BioNTech had violated a Moderna patent filed between 2010 to 2016 to make their vaccines. It ordered they must provide estimates of how much they had profited from breaking the patent as well as provide "appropriate compensation."--AFP
