Perran Ross

The videos show male mosquitoes trying to bite me. My skin was too thick for them to pierce but they sure did try! You'll see in the paper that they can feed successfully under some conditions.

The long-held belief that only female mosquitoes bite may not be true after all.

Very excited to have had the opportunity to contribute to this study showing that male mosquitoes can also bite and feed on blood.

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Company pauses plan to release controversial genetically modified mosquitoes An organisation that planned to sell "friendly" mosquitoes to reduce the spread of diseases like dengue withdraws its licence application after backlash from scientists and health experts.

I'm not opposed to all GMO mosquitoes, but Queensland is the last place that needs them. Withdrawing the application was the right decision.

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12...

Single-cell genome analysis of a feminizing Wolbachia in Eurema butterflies reveals a shared origin with male-killing Wolbachia Wolbachia is a ubiquitous endosymbiont in arthropods that is maternally transmitted and affects host reproduction in various ways. Among these, skewing the host sex ratio towards females, either by ki...

Our new paper is now out in Microbial Genomics!
Available here: doi.org/10.1099/mgen...
(Microbiology Society, @microbiologysociety.org)

We established a genome of an unculturable bacterial endosymbiont (Wolbachia, wFem) that feminises Eurema butterflies using a single-cell–based technique.

CSIRO and Oxitec have withdrawn their application to release genetically modified mosquitoes in Australia

consultations.health.gov.au/ogtr/dir-207...

More good news! Oxitec withdrew their application to release millions of #GMO mosquitoes across Northern Australia!! Public protest wins consultations.health.gov.au/ogtr/dir-207... Non-GMO Wolbachia mozzies already suppress dengue transmission ~100%! www.worldmosquitoprogram.org/en/global-pr...

I don't doubt it will be a useful tool. The problem is that when people become over-reliant on technology like this it will affect their own judgement.

I am baffled by the overwhelmingly positive responses to this. When did the idea of using AI to review papers suddenly become acceptable? We must not let AI shape the way we do science.

This was originally created many years ago to promote a Wolbachia release program our lab was involved in, but it never got used. So here it is now.

YouTube video by Perran Ross How Wolbachia mosquitoes can prevent dengue transmission

I made a stop-motion animation to explain how Wolbachia mosquitoes can control dengue transmission

youtu.be/viFCd_ZnPu8?...

This was originally created many years ago to promote a Wolbachia release program our lab was involved in, but it never got used. So here it is now.

Imagine being the first scientist to notice that some of the ants being studied had two butts & that one of them was a beetle that had latched on for a free ride.

See the mandibles of the beetle (yellow arrow)? Latched on to the ant's 'waist', blending seamlessly.

Ants with detachable butts.

Changes in the behavior of Myzus persicae (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in response to predators after transinfection with Rickettsiella (Legionellales: Coxiellaceae) endosymbionts Abstract. Infection with endosymbionts can cause changes in the phenotype of their insect hosts, particularly for life-history traits such as fecundity and

New paper led by @phiddlesticks.bsky.social shows how endosymbionts can affect aphid responses to predators

academic.oup.com/aesa/advance...

Impact of larval diet on fitness outcomes of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes infected with wAlbB and wMelM - Parasites & Vectors Background Releases of Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti are being used to effectively control diseases caused by arboviruses, such as dengue. A well-balanced larval diet is essential for producing Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes with optimal fitness for release. Methods In this study, four diets with varying protein-to-carbohydrate ratios were tested with three Ae. aegypti lines (carrying the wAlbB, wMelM Wolbachia infections or uninfected) to identify optimal diets for larval rearing on the basis of diet allocations ranging from 0.4 to 3.2 mg/larva/day. The diets were selected on the basis of a review of existing literature and are characterized by progressively increasing protein and decreasing carbohydrate content: diet 1 (Pd) was based on plant-based protein (low protein and high carbohydrate), diet 2 (Kd) was based on animal-based protein (moderate protein and high carbohydrate), diet 3 (Fd) involved Hikari fish food (high protein and moderate carbohydrate), and diet 4 (IAEA) followed a widely used very-high-protein and low-carbohydrate diet developed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The optimal concentration for each diet was determined using a fitness index that incorporated pupation success, fecundity, hatch proportion and development time. Results The optimal dietary allocations for diets 1–4 were 1.6, 1.2, 1.2 and 0.8 mg/larva/day, respectively, regardless of Wolbachia status. There was a consistent significant positive relationship between female wing length and fecundity in wAlbB (r2 = 0.881), wMelM (r2 = 0.329), and uninfected (r2 = 0.886) mosquitoes. Diet 3 (Fd) at optimal food allocation reduced a fitness cost commonly associated with the wAlbB line compared with the uninfected line when provided at the optimal concentration. The wMelM line showed a persistently low fecundity regardless of diet and concentration. Conclusions These findings highlight the importance of an appropriate larval diet and dietary allocations in optimizing mosquito fitness for Wolbachia-based vector control programs. Further research into dietary composition, gut microbial interactions and Wolbachia associations could refine larval nutrition strategies, enhancing the effectiveness of mass-rearing for release programs. Graphical abstract

New paper on impacts of different larval diets on the fitness of Wolbachia mosquitoes

parasitesandvectors.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....

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

Heterogeneity in inhibition of genetically diverse dengue virus strains by Wolbachia The release of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes transinfected with the virus-inhibiting Wolbachia bacterium has the potential to reduce the burden caused by dengue virus (DENV). However, the robustness of thi...

📢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...

Repeated thermal stress exposure in Aedes aegypti co-infected with Wolbachia and dengue virus | mSphere Dengue virus (DENV), spread by the mosquito Aedes aegypti, is a major global health threat affecting millions of people. This study examines how repeated exposures to heat stress affect the thermal to...

📢🦟 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➡️ 🔗

Mosquitoes - Alex Wild Mosquitoes comprise a large family, Culicidae, of slender, scale-covered flies found worldwide. We think of mosquitoes as voracious blood-feeders, but the primary food of adult mosquitoes is actually ...

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

Heat hardening enhances mosquito heat tolerance in a species-specific and trait-specific manner Models predict that the distribution of ectotherms including mosquitoes will shift with climate change, but few incorporate adaptive capacity. Acclimation is one mechanism by which mosquitoes could ad...

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.

YouTube video by PBS Terra I Visited a Mosquito Factory

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...

Discovery and description of a novel mode of oviposition in the mosquito genus Culex Scientific Reports - Discovery and description of a novel mode of oviposition in the mosquito genus Culex

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

Wolbachia introgression in Rio de Janeiro remains at sub-optimal levels 30 months after its crash: challenges in the sustainability of wMel interventions for dengue control The deployment of the Wolbachia wMel strain is currently underway in multiple dengue-endemic municipalities across Brazil. The efficacy of this strategy in Rio de Janeiro remains uncertain, primarily ...

The Wolbachia papers keep coming! This is a follow-up to the Rio study

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

The long-term persistence of the wMel strain in Rio de Janeiro is threatened by poor integrated vector management and bacterium fitness cost on Aedes aegypti Author summary In Rio de Janeiro, efforts to control diseases like dengue and chikungunya involve a myriad of approaches, including targeting breeding sites, insecticide application, engaging communit...

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....

Implications of successive blood feeding on Wolbachia-mediated dengue virus inhibition in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes - Nature Communications Dengue virus transmission by Ae. aegypti mosquitoes poses a significant public health threat, necessitating innovative control strategies. Here, the authors demonstrate that, while successive blood fe...

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...

Implications of successive blood feeding on Wolbachia-mediated dengue virus inhibition in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes Nature Communications - Dengue virus transmission by Ae. aegypti mosquitoes poses a significant public health threat, necessitating innovative control strategies. Here, the authors demonstrate...

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

rdcu.be/eyqaG

Spiroplasma and heat hardening can buffer insect male fertility loss at high temperatures Insects' upper thermal limits for survival, activity, and fertility have been used to assess vulnerability to climate change, yet heritable endosymbionts - present in over 70% of insect species - are ...

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!

Post Doctoral Research Associate in Wolbachia Biology | Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine Ready to make a difference in vector biology research? We are looking for a dedicated and enthusiastic researcher to join an exciting BBSRC-funded project exploring the fascinating interactions betwee...

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...