Prevention of insect-borne disease: an approach using transgenic symbiotic bacteria.
Expression of molecules with antiparasitic activity by genetically transformed symbiotic bacteria of disease-transmitting insects may serve as a powerful approach to control certain arthropod-borne diseases. The endosymbiont of the Chagas disease vector, Rhodnius prolixus, has been transformed to express cecropin A, a peptide lethal to the parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi. In insects carrying the transformed bacteria, cecropin A expression results in elimination or reduction in number of T. cruzi. A method has been devised to spread the transgenic bacteria to populations of R. prolixus, in a manner that mimics their natural coprophagous route of symbiont acquisition.
Durvasula
R V
RV
Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.
Gumbs
A
A
Panackal
A
A
Kruglov
O
O
Aksoy
S
S
Merrifield
R B
RB
Richards
F F
FF
Beard
C B
CB
D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D007303:Insect Vectors; D010455:Peptides / Q000235:genetics / Q000494:pharmacology; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D012239:Rhodnius / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D012240:Rhodococcus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D013559:Symbiosis; D019076:Transgenes; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000187:drug effects
D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D010455:Peptides; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C031161:cecropin A