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Swine fever in South East聽Asia

Swine fever has reached Borneo, devastating the local wild pig populations and having huge knock-on effects for the indigenous populations who rely on the animals for their meat.

African swine fever has now reached Southeast Asia.This part of the world has high diversity in wild pigs, some of which are endemic to their native islands. In Borneo, pigs are a hugely important food source for indigenous populations, and are a vital prey species for many big cats. In some regions, the pig populations have now dropped by 90 to 100 per cent due to swine fever. Conservationist Dr Erik Meijaard explains what this could mean for Borneo.

Sticking with diseases, the World Mosquito Program breeds mosquitoes infected with Wolbachia. Why? Because mosquitoes infected with this bacteria are unable to become carriers of dengue, Zika and other mosquito-borne diseases. Dr Scott O'Neill of the World Mosquito Program talks about their latest research and the massive mosquito factory they're building in Brazil this year.

Finally this week, Dr Nitzan Gonen discusses her new study, where mouse testes organoids have been grown in the lab. She tells us about the potential applications for this research.

Presenter: Roland Pease
Producer: Alice Lipscombe-Southwell
Production co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

(Photo: Bornean bearded pig. Credit: Sylvain Cordier/Getty Images)

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28 minutes

Last on

Fri 19 Jan 2024 13:32GMT

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  • Thu 18 Jan 2024 20:32GMT
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  • Fri 19 Jan 2024 05:32GMT
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  • Fri 19 Jan 2024 13:32GMT

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