Sustained bacterial outbreak in mosquitoes limits spread of life-threatening diseases

Medical practitioners, such as those at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, frequently utilize mathematical models when determining how to best control the spread of mosquito-borne illnesses. Diseases such as chikungunya, dengue fever, malaria, and Zika virus can be life-threatening, and no effective vaccine currently exists. While most mitigation strategies aim to eliminate popular mosquito breeding sites through the use of insecticides, the accompanying costs, logistical difficulties, and resistance evolution make these treatment methods unsustainable.