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Control strategy for Dengue, malaria increases risk of West Nile virus

Mosquitoes infected with the bacteria Wolbachia are more likely to become infected with West Nile virus and more likely to transmit the virus to humans, according to a team of researchers. "This is the first study to demonstrate that Wolbachia can enhance a human pathogen in a mosquito," one researcher said. "The results suggest that caution should be used when releasing Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes into nature to control vector-borne diseases of humans."

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