The Environmental Protection Agency is allowing a Lexington, Ky., biotech company to release mosquitoes infected with bacteria called Wolbachia pipientis to help prevent the spread of certain diseases like Zika and yellow fever, according to Newsweek.
The company, MosquitoMate, uses the infected males to target the Asian tiger mosquito -- Aedes albopictus -- responsible for spreading those diseases and others, the article states.
The theory goes that when the infected male skeeters mate with the females in the wild, the fertilized eggs won't hatch, thus decreasing the population.
There are 20 states approved for the release.
Source: Newsweek
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