What do genetically modified mosquitoes look like? 

A common question we get at Target Malaria is “what do genetically modified mosquitoes look like?”.  

All the genetically modified mosquitoes that Target Malaria generates share one characteristic; they are all fluorescent under a specific light. 

_{Mosquito larvae, pupae and adults. CDC Foundation (from video)}

Above are genetically modified larvae, pupae and adults under natural light. They look like any other mosquito. However, when looking at them under a fluorescence microscope with specific filters their eyes and other parts of their bodies can fluoresce like below. 

_{One modified mosquito with fluorescent and without. CDC Foundation (from video)} 

Depending on the modification they can appear green, red or even blue. These fluorescent markers help us differentiate them from the non-modified mosquitoes and conduct comparative experiments with them in the laboratory. Some mosquitoes can be modified to prevent malaria parasites from developing in their gut (this strategy is called “population replacement”), to make female sterile or to produce mostly male offspring (these strategies are called “population suppression”. At Target Malaria, we focus on population suppression approaches.  

View the video below to find out more about genetically modified mosquitoes and how they could contribute to reduce malaria transmission.

For more information about Target Malaria’s work at the CDC Foundation, click here.