The germ has fascinated scientist Scott O'Neill his entire career.
started working with it about two decades ago at Yale University
But it wasn't until 2008, after returning to his
native Australia, that he
One of his
research students figured out how to implant the bacteria into a mosquito so it could be passed on to future generations.
The initial hope was that it would shorten the insect's life.
But soon, a hidden benefit was discovered: Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes not only died quicker but they also blocked dengue partially or entirely, sort of like a natural vaccine.
"The dengue virus couldn't grow in the mosquito as well if the Wolbachia was present," says O'Neill, dean of science at Monash University in Melbourne.
Wolbachia also blocks other mosquito-borne diseases such as yellow fever and chikungunya, O'Neill
Similar research is being conducted for malaria, though that's trickier because the disease is carried by several different types of mosquitoes.
It's unclear why mosquitoes that transmit dengue do not naturally get Wolbachia, which is found in up to 70 percent of insects in the wild.
doesn't believe that purposefully infecting mosquitoes will negatively impact ecosystems.
says the key to overcoming skepticism is to be transparent with research while providing independent risk analyses and publishing findings in high-caliber scientific journals.
"I think, intuitively, it makes sense that it's unlikely to have a major consequence of introducing Wolbachia into one more species," O'Neill
says, adding that none of his
work is for profit.
"It's already in millions already."