FAQs

What is Wolbachia and how does it work?

Wolbachia is a naturally occurring bacterium found in certain insect species. Approximately 6 in 10 of all insects, including butterflies, bees, and beetles have Wolbachia. When introduced into Aedes aegypti, it blocks viruses like dengue, chikungunya and Zika from growing inside Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, thereby making mosquitoes less capable of spreading diseases. Wolbachia lives inside insect cells and is passed from one generation to the next through an insect’s eggs. If enough Wolbachia-carrying Aedes aegypti are released into a neighbourhood, they replace local, uninfected Aedes aegypti. This is called Wolbachia Replacement Technology, and has been proven to lead to reduced dengue transmission in treated communities.

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes don’t normally carry Wolbachia, however many other mosquitoes do. 

Is it safe?

As highlighted by the CDC and other agencies, Wolbachia are very common bacteria found naturally in insects. Once an insect dies, the Wolbachia also will die and decompose in the environment. The type of Wolbachia used in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are the same types of Wolbachia found throughout the world in other types of insects.

We are surrounded by insects with Wolbachia, and there is no data to suggest that Wolbachia bacteria cause any harm to people, animals, or the environment.

How does Sparks™ differ from Friendly™ technology?

Both technologies serve the similar aim of combating mosquitoes and the diseases they spread using safe, sustainable and innovative technology to target disease-spreading mosquitoes.

Sparks™ leverages Wolbachia bacteria to spread through a population of mosquitoes to reduce their ability to spread disease (called Wolbachia Replacement Technology), whereas Friendly™ technology is proven to significantly reduce, or suppress, target populations of mosquitoes. Wolbachia does not include genetic modification.

Why is Oxitec launching Sparks™?

In 2022, as part of its aim to reduce the global dengue burden by 25% by 2030, the World Health Organization published a target product profile (TPP) that calls for additional manufacturers to help increase supply of Wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes to provide coverage for more countries at a cost that is sustainable for governments and communities. The WHO has assessed this intervention and confirmed its public health value for dengue control.

The WHO notes: “With the successful demonstration of Wolbachia Aedes aegypti population replacement method and its impact on dengue, the groundwork has been laid for a global effort to use Wolbachia to control/eliminate dengue. To date, however, both Wolbachia replacement and suppression method approaches have largely been deployed at pilot or demonstration scale and largely in very particular kinds of areas (dense high burden cities). The challenge now is replicating these results at a scale sufficient to substantially reduce the global burden of dengue.” 

Through Sparks™, Oxitec will pursue the WHO targets and work closely with a wide range of stakeholders, partners and allies to do so as it begins to ramp up supply.