By Sebastian Rocandio

CURITIBA/JOINVILLE, Brazil (Reuters) – The world’s largest biofactory for breeding mosquitoes infected with Wolbachia bacteria, a method researchers use to combat dengue, hopes to protect some 140 million people from the disease in Brazil over the coming years, the company said.

The Wolbito do Brasil plant, backed and used exclusively by Brazil’s health ministry, opened in the city of Curitiba on July 19. A joint venture between the World Mosquito Program, the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, and the Institute of Molecular Biology of Parana, it can produce 100 million mosquito eggs per week.

“Wolbito do Brasil will be able to protect around 7 million people in Brazil every six months,” Luciano Moreira, the company’s chief executive, said in an interview.

Dengue, colloquia

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