Wolbachia-based biocontrol for arboviral diseases reduction

• Grant number: 21/03039-1
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): July 01, 2021
• Effective date (End): June 30, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Production Engineering - Operational Research
• Principal researcher: Helenice de Oliveira Florentino Silva
• Grantee: Antone dos Santos Benedito
• Home Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IBB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Lately, a new modality of biological control for arbovirus diseases has taken on risenprominence: the field releases of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes. The most attractive features of this endosymbiont bacteria are the ability to block arbovirus transmission and keep the infection among individuals of later generations, which make the arbovirus control effective and environmentally friendly, promoting research and the application of this technique in both corporative and academic contexts. On the other hand, the success of the biocontrol is subject to critical factors such as the bacterial type strain, the most suitable periodicity of mosquito releasing, the least viable amount of infected which must be introduced, the environmental temperature, among others. In this regard, the computational mathematics provides a mighty approach to this issue once it manages all these factors optimally and allows looking ahead onseveral scenarios before any practical intervention on-site, enabling increasing assertiveness of execution and resource management. Therefore, we intend through a systematical investigation of mathematical modelling of the problem associated with computational simulations to determine the aforementioned application criteria in order to ensure that control technique as robust, eco-friendly and primarily cost-effective. The project is feasible since it is supported byUNESP and members of both projects FAPESP 2020/10964-0 (Brazil/Colombia collaboration)and FAPESP 19/22157-5 (Brazil/France collaboration) and furthermore the applicants have considerable experience in this research line and strong connections to national and international workgroups. (AU)