Australian scientists discover unique way to prevent dengue fever

"Our team then measured how efficiently Wolbachia blocked dengue virus infection of the mosquito body and saliva, which in turn steps stops them spreading the virus between humans."

The research concluded that in areas of a low dengue infection rate, exposing mosquitos to Wolbachia could stop all cases of dengue fever.

"We found that Wolbachia could eliminate dengue transmission in locations where the intensity of transmission is low or moderate," Simmons said.

"In high transmission settings, Wolbachia would also cause a significant reduction in transmission.

"Our findings are important because they provide realistic measures of the ability of Wolbachia to block transmission of the dengue virus and provide precise projections of its impact on dengue infections."

Wolbachia was recently introduced to tropical Australian cities Townsville and Cairns, in northern Queensland, and researchers expect the number of dengue infections in those centers to be drastically lower than in previous years.

"Our results will enable policy makers in dengue-affected countries to make informed decisions on Wolbachia when allocating scarce resources to dengue control," Simmons said.