Debug Fresno will target the invasive
Aedes aegypti mosquito, which can transmit diseases like Zika, dengue, and chikungunya.
Aedes aegypti first appeared in the central valley of California in 2013, and since then has become pervasive in Fresno County. This study will be the largest U.S. release to-date of sterile male mosquitoes treated with
Wolbachia, a naturally occurring bacterium, and will take place over a 20 week period in two neighborhoods each approximately 300 acres in size. When these sterile males mate with wild females the resulting eggs will not hatch. To measure our outcomes, we will compare the adult population density and egg hatching of
Aedes aegypti in these targeted areas to two control neighborhoods. Over time, we hope to see a steep decline in the presence of
Aedes aegypti in these communities.
Debug Fresno, our first U.S. field study