New bacteria to stop dengue outbreak in New Town

With the deadly dengue season just a few months away, New Town Development Authority has come up with an innovative technique to combat the menace. They have decided to spray Bacillus Thuringiensis Israelensis (BTI), a kind of bacteria that destroys mosquito larvae. BTI is usually sprayed using a hand compression machine with a tank capacity of 10 litre and more. Gautam Chandra, Professor of Zoology at Burdwan University, had proposed the use of this bacteria.

Chandra explained BTI is a naturally occurring bacteria that infects and kills mosquito larvae. These bacteria are highly selective and kills only mosquito larvae. Hence other organisms in the water bodies including other insects, birds and fishes will not be impacted. To get the maximum result, bacteria will be spread for two months. When mosquito larvae eats BTI bacteria, the gut cells of the larvae get damaged and they are quickly paralysed. A moderate to heavy dose can reduce the mosquito population by half in 15 minutes! Other than BTI, Temephos and Citronella chemicals will also be sprayed and the standard fogging when adult mosquitoes arise will be done.