Debug Project uses sterile male mosquitoes carrying Wolbachia bacteria to reduce disease-spreading Aedes aegypti populations

Debug is developing technology to raise and release male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that carry Wolbachia, preventing wild females from producing offspring. The approach aims to curb dengue, Zika, yellow fever, and chikungunya without pesticides, toxins, or genetic modification.

The project reflects a shift toward biological pest control as mosquito-borne diseases spread and conventional tools lose effectiveness. If scalable, sterile mosquito releases could become a lower-toxicity public health tool for cities and regions struggling with Aedes aegypti outbreaks.