Ministry of Health inaugurates antidengue project biofactory in MG

The Ministry of Health, in partnership with Fiocruz (Fundação Oswaldo Cruz), the Government of Minas Gerais and the City of Belo Horizonte, inaugurated on Monday (April 29, 2024) the Wolbachia biofactory, in the Gameleira neighborhood, western region of mining capital.

Built on 4,000 m² of land, the new unit will have laboratories for the production of the Wolbachia method, one of the main technologies in combating dengue and other arboviruses.

The method consists of releasing mosquitoes Aedes aegypti with the Wolbachia bacteria, which prevents the dengue, zika and chikungunya viruses from developing in the insect, preventing the transmission of diseases. These mosquitoes, called Wolbitos, are not genetically modified and do not transmit other diseases.

The administration of the biofactory will be the responsibility of Fiocruz, in partnership with the WMP (World Mosquito Program), the institution that holds the patent for the technology. The operation is expected to begin in 2025.

The unit will be responsible for maintaining the complete cycle of Wolbitos, from egg production to adult mosquitoes, in addition to the distribution of these biological materials and the allocation of administrative teams.

The estimate is that the weekly production of the Belo Horizonte biofactory will reach 2 million mosquitoes per week which, once inserted into the environment, will reproduce with the Aedes aegypti local areas and establish a new population of mosquitoes that do not transmit dengue fever and other diseases.

In the 1st phase of the new project in Minas Gerais, mosquitoes Aedes aegypti with Wolbachia bacteria will be released in the city of Brumadinho and in 21 other municipalities in the Paraopeba river basin. The expectation of the State Department of Health is that, subsequently, the distribution of mosquitoes will be expanded to all municipalities in Minas Gerais.

Innovative strategy

According to the Secretary of Health and Environmental Surveillance of the Ministry of Health, Ethel Maciel, “this technology is proof that science must be increasingly encouraged and valued”.

The secretary took advantage of the event to announce the Ministry of Health’s expansion plan. In addition to the biofactories in Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais, two other units should be opened in Ceará and Paraná.

“This is the result of investment in science, more than 10 years of research. We are here to celebrate the achievement of science that is to preserve and save lives”he said.

The vice-president of Production and Innovation in Health at Fiocruz, Marco Krieger, stated that the institution has been looking for innovative solutions to contribute to the national effort to combat arboviruses.

“The construction of new biofactories, as well as the increase in production in existing biofactories, can guarantee the expansion of the Wolbachia method and move forward with the Ministry of Health’s strategies”he said.

The Wolbachia method had already been implemented in parts of the city of Belo Horizonte with the release of mosquitoes.

The 1st stage, in the Venda Nova region, was completed in January 2021. In 2022, a new expansion began and the releases were completed in 2023. A large clinical study is being carried out to prove the effectiveness and impact to protect the population.

The application of the technology in Niterói (RJ) showed a reduction of 69.4% in dengue cases, 56.3% in chikungunya cases and 37% in zika cases in the city.

Other cities in the country are also using the Wolbachia method, such as Rio, Campo Grande (MS), Petrolina (PE), Joinville (SC), Foz do Iguaçu (PR) and Londrina (PR). Community engagement work will soon also begin in Uberlândia (MG), Presidente Prudente (SP) and Natal (RN).

How it works

The method consists of releasing Aedes aegypti with Wolbachia so that they reproduce with the Aedes aegypti places gradually establishing a new population of these mosquitoes, all with Wolbachia. Wolbitos, as they are called, are non-transgenic and do not transmit diseases.

Wolbachia is an intracellular microorganism present in 60% of insects in nature, but is not present in Aedes aegypti. When present in these mosquitoes, it prevents the dengue, zika, chikungunya and urban yellow fever viruses from developing inside the mosquito, contributing to the reduction of these diseases.

Once mosquitoes with Wolbachia are released into the environment, they reproduce with field mosquitoes and help create a new generation of mosquitoes that do not transmit these arboviruses. Over time, the percentage of mosquitoes carrying the microorganism increases, until it remains high without the need for further release.

Environmental remediation

The resources for the work, which began in February 2023, come from the agreement to repair the damage caused by the collapse of the mining company Vale’s dam, in Brumadinho, in January 2019. The tragedy took the lives of 272 people and generated a series of impacts social, economic and environmental in the region.

In addition to the construction of the biofactory, the agreement established the assembly of equipment and the financing of operations for 5 years. The construction of the building received an investment of approximately R$20 million, and the operation stage allocated another R$57 million, according to the State government.

With information from the Ministry of Health.