The war against dengue fever has enlisted a tiny new ally: a cunning bacterium that inoculates mosquitoes against the virus that causes the debilitating disease. The dengue virus hops from person to person via mosquitoes, so if the insects can’t carry the virus, disease transmission might be slowed or even halted. That’s the hope of researchers racing to erase dengue, which infects 50 million to 100 million people worldwide each year in 100 mostly tropical countries, causing about 22,000 deaths, according to the World Health Organization. There is no vaccine available, and patients suffering the intense joint and muscle pain that mark a dengue infection have no treatment options other than painkillers. Growing resistance by mosquitoes to pesticides adds urgency to the battle against the virus. Read full article > >

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Field tests show bacterial oddball can be a dengue destroyer