Facilitating a halt to the deadly and dreaded disease causing abilities of a mosquito is what prompted scientists to manipulate a mosquito gene at the molecular level to change the gender of these tiny trouble makers, rendering them harmless.

Researchers at the Fralin Life Science Institute at Virginia Tech have successfully altered the specific gene that is present in mosquitoes that are carriers of yellow fever, dengue and chikungunya viruses. The research team claims that by increasing the number of harmless male mosquitoes the spread of infectious diseases can be decreased.

The gene in question is the Nix gene of a dengue-transmitting mosquito, which was manipulated to turn the harmful female mosquito into a harmless male that does not carry any disease. The gender change enabled removing of deadly qualities as female is the disease carrier in most cases for it sucks blood on its victim in order to develop her eggs.

Zhijian Jake Tu, Professor of Biochemistry, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences stated," Nix provides us with exciting opportunities to harness mosquito sex in the fight against infectious diseases because maleness is the ultimate disease-refractory trait".

Brantley Hall and Zach Adelman, the authors of the present study assert that this process is the best way to get rid of the different diseases that the mosquitoes are capable of inflicting and spreading.

Hall explained that the research is significant because yellow fever is one of the deadliest diseases that exist in the wild, and is carried predominantly by mosquitoes.

Adelman asserted that the modification in the sex genes marks a breakthrough discovery as now scientists will have a less-costly way of stalling the deadly variety as compared with the previous tedious methods of male sterilization or the process of cutting off the disease carrying portions of females.

The research sparks new hope of extending the disease curbing properties by altering specific genes in animals to test similar possible methods among humans.