What does the screw-worm have to do with Zika?

Quite a bit, actually. What science has learned from the screw-worm could become the savior of this epidemic. The way screw-worms were eliminated over fifty years ago to save livestock from flesh-eating infestations could solve the mosquito-driven international health crisis that causes severe birth defects in newborn babies.

The American Screwworm Crisis

The screw worm is a species of fly with parasitic larvae that feeds on the living tissue of an animal (or, disturbingly, a human). They were so named because they resemble a screw, and, more graphically, they burrow into the skin like screws to feast on their host’s flesh. Usually, an adult fly lands on an open wound and lays eggs that hatch inside the animal. An infestation of screw-worms could even be fatal if left untreated.

Don’t fret, though (unless you’re a cattle farmer). Humans are rare victims of the parasite. These critters mainly pose a danger to livestock—and subsequently to the profits of farmers.

Nearly a hundred years ago, cattle farmers sought help from scientists to wage war against these costly parasites. The worms were killing their cattle at extraordinary rates, jeopardizing their profits.

The problem was solved by a scientist named Edward Knipling. His plan was unorthodox, but simple. He wanted to neuter a large flock of the male flies. Female flies would attempt to mate with these sterilized males, leading to less offspring and a population drop.

Despite disapproval from skeptical colleagues that the “castration” of flies was an absurd and fruitless venture, Knipling’s plan worked. Screw worms in Southern America vanished, keeping our cattle healthy and uninfected.

Today, most people are more frightened of Zika Virus than screw worms, and for good reason. As many scientists scramble to eradicate Zika, some are devising a strategy similar to Knipling’s.

Engineered Mosquito Extermination

Zika infects via mosquito bite. A majority of the time, it causes only mild illness and little to no symptoms. Many people have no idea they’ve been infected. The terror comes from the impact on an unborn fetus of an infected pregnant woman. The virus leads to severe birth defects—particularly microcephaly, a condition marked by an undersized and underdeveloped brain.

Hundreds of thousands of male mosquitoes were released in Brazil just last year.

In the wake of a monster health crisis instigated by mosquito bites, such an act might seem reckless and risky. But male mosquitoes don’t bite or transmit disease, and these mosquitoes were genetically engineered. Instead of being sterilized like the screw worms, they can still reproduce, but their genes were manipulated so that their life ends sooner than a normal, wild mosquito. In addition, whatever offspring they have will also have a short life—dying before entering adulthood, making them virtually unable to carry and spread diseases.

The engineers anticipate that, much like the screw worms, the wild female mosquitoes will mate with the engineered males. Soon enough, they hope, the population of Zika-carrying mosquitoes will plunge, and Zika will disappear.

If you have problems with mosquitos, call Preventive Pest Control today to safely and quickly remove the infestation.