How Wolbachia works to control mosquito-borne diseases. An infographic illustrated by Marianne Coquilleau instagram.com/marianne_sea

📢New preprint on the impact of dengue virus genetic diversity on inhibition by Wolbachia 🦟🦠🧬 Project led by Afeez Sodeinde, @emiliefinch.bsky.social, and @keli5734.bsky.social! ✨ Key findings in thread below 👇 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

📢🦟 New study from Dr. Beth McGraw and colleagues: Heatwaves make Aedes aegypti co-infected with Wolbachia + dengue virus twice as heat-sensitive. 🌡️ Extended heat lowered dengue loads, while Wolbachia remained stable. Findings highlight climate change impacts on vector control. Read more➡️ 🔗

Starting to accumulate quite a few species in the mosquito gallery:

New preprint from @pearg.bsky.social showing that heat hardening can enhance heat tolerance in mosquitoes www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Mosquito with a bendy proboscis that can't feed. This is a common phenomenon when mosquitoes get older.

I was featured in this PBS episode of the Human Fooprint, talking about the use of Wolbachia for dengue virus control. I should know better than to read the comments - some of y'all need serious help... www.youtube.com/watch?v=AI3H...

I am back with great news. A project by a former undergrad, Liz Wynne, is now out in publication. In it she discovered a mosquito in the genus Culex that lays eggs from the air (like a Toxorhynchites) and exhibits skip oviposition (spreading eggs around). An amazing discovery! 🦟🍾 rdcu.be/eBkFM

Also recently published: independent monitoring of Wolbachia releases in Rio de Janeiro shows wMel dropping out due to a multitude of factors journals.plos.org/plosntds/art...

Just came across this opinion piece calling for a pause on the expansion of Wolbachia releases. This is sure to be a controversial one. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

So glad to finally have this out with co-author @mallerybreban.bsky.social and very thankful for the many amazing people who contributed to this study and provided materials and input! 🦟🦠1/12 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Thrilled to be a part of this study on Wolbachia and multiple blood feeding. Now published! rdcu.be/eyqaG

Excited to share this new preprint from @bvanheerwaarden.bsky.social @pearg.bsky.social: Endosymbionts and plasticity can buffer heat-induced male sterility www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

The very first paper from my lab in Krakow is now available here: DOI: 10.3791/68207 Yes, it is a protocol, BUT it is also a GREAT protocol! Congrats to the first author @navinafrancis.bsky.social! Stay tuned, an update on the clones is coming soon!

Come and join the @mossi-lab.bsky.social group! We have a postdoc position available on Wolbachia and Anopheles interactions. app.vacancy-filler.co.uk/salescrm/Car...

A plan to release genetically modified mosquitoes in Australia is now open for public consultation consultations.health.gov.au/ogtr/dir-207...

🦟🦠 NEW! We looked at every experiment going back to the 1960s, and found that mosquitoes are almost certainly not primary or secondary vectors of Oropouche virus - a common claim in both the scientific literature and public health communication. #EpiSky #IDSky 😷🧪 journals.plos.org/plosntds/art...

@haraipapilio.bsky.social paper on evolution of Wolbachia MK mechanism through prophage acquisition in molina butterflies - avoiding suppression by the host. Now out! #symbiosky www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti.... With @daisukekageyama.bsky.social @bolinabug.bsky.social and others

WE ARE HIRING Technical role in our molecular lab, full time, continuing contract, based in Parkville jobs.unimelb.edu.au/en/job/91951...

Here's my article explaining the risks of releasing genetically modified mosquitoes in Australia pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/3-r...

It does not seem there's any public health argument for these releases. So why then?

I agree with @perran.bsky.social in this piece - the arguments for these releases don't add up. If you want to test GMO mosquitoes do it somewhere they're likely to be used, not somewhere where dengue is already controlled www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

I had a chat to the Guardian about my concerns with releasing genetically modified (GM) mosquitoes in Australia. www.theguardian.com/australia-ne... While I am not opposed to the technology there are unique risks with the planned releases here (thread).

🚨 New pub alert! 🚨 Our study shows that #Wolbachia #prophage Cif proteins come at a cost to #Drosophila sperm development. @symbionticism.bsky.social royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...

Frustrating to see such blatant plagiarism by an article in a Wiley journal. See if you can spot the difference. No action has been taken by the journal.

Hard problems, meaningful work. The lab seeks molecular biologists, entomologists, geneticists, cell biologists, and symbiosis enthusiasts. Researchers will have the important role to decipher the reproductive manipulation tactics of bacteria in animals. psu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/PSU_Ac...

📢New preprint! We studied the impact of successive feeding on inhibition of dengue virus by Wolbachia Key finding: mosquito feeding behavior matters, but Wolbachia remains effective🦟🦠 Study led by @entomososwin.bsky.social and Mallery Breban www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

''London Underground’ mosquito has surprisingly ancient origins Once thought to have evolved inside the Tube network, a tunnel-dwelling mosquito might actually have emerged thousands of years ago in Egypt.' www.nature.com/articles/d41...

It’s ’Mosquito Monday’ so check out Coquillettidia xanthogaster - one of Australia’s most unique mosquitoes!

I just realized I would do a disservice if I didn't mention Sabethes! Hands down my favorite mosquito. This photo was highly commended in @nhm-london.bsky.social's Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. You can read about it here: gilwizen.com/wpy-beautifu... #BlueBugs #BlueMonday

Mosquito control starts at home - Enjoy Véronique's video companion to our article in Pursuit pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/Wer...

There is now a petition to reject the proposed releases of genetically modified mosquitoes in Queensland, Australia www.parliament.qld.gov.au/Work-of-the-...

Thrilled to share this paper with whomever has taken refuge on this platform. 🎊 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

New preprint from @haraipapilio.bsky.social with @bolinabug.bsky.social @daisukekageyama.bsky.social and others not on bluesky #symbiosky www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

High temperatures reduce mosquito fertility - our latest work now published! @pearg.bsky.social @bvanheerwaarden.bsky.social journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...

NEW PREPRINT on Aedes vigilax - the Australian saltmarsh mosquito. This mosquito can fly great distances, but there's more to this than initially meets the eye www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Our Toxic Male Technique (TMT) paper is finally out! TMT males produce insecticidal semen to eliminate the female population. It's the first example of intragenerational genetic biocontrol. TMT mosquitoes could dramatically reduce bloodmeals. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

End of the year output from the lab looking at the role of Vigilin and RACK1 in dengue virus-mosquito-Wolbachia interactions. journals.asm.org/eprint/NGXSR...

Ever wonder how to count very rare and unculturable #microbes? Our new #preprint 🥳 shows that we can use #ddPCR to count as few as 12 #endosymbiont genomes in a 20 uL reaction!🤯 Yes, this is a teaser for things to come.😉 #Wolbachia #Drosophila #SymbioSky #Entomology www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Happy birthday #Wolbachia! Still so many mysteries to uncover! #symbiosky

Oxitec to bring GMO mosquitoes to Australia www.oxitec.com/en/news/oxit...

This year I always had my camera and a small photo box to hand when I was gardening. My children are always finding caterpillars outside, and I wanted to document that a bit this year. With the exception of the garden tiger moth (Arctia caja), they all came from my garden.

We are now keenly seeking LBAM (lightbrown apple moth) from around Melbourne. If you have an apple tree, or a grapevine, please take a look and see if you can see moth damage and webbing. We are after live larvae. Some good reference images here - www.wineaustralia.com/growing-maki...

Our latest work on Wolbachia mosquitoes is now published! journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

Hi, I'm Dr Owen Holland, a researcher with a broad range of genetics focused ecological interests. I use my genetic expertise to further our understanding of many organisms, including abalone, grasshoppers, sharks, seaweed, crabs, eels and more. If you would like to know more, feel free to DM me!

Wolbachia releases can have protective effects against dengue that reach beyond the release zone www.thelancet.com/journals/ebi...

I am delighted to be on the latest episode of Gardening Australia to talk about mosquitoes www.abc.net.au/gardening/ho...

And finally, some experiments with darkfield illumination of Wyeomyia smithii larvae