A female-only ‘super prawn’ could help to alleviate poverty, reduce disease and protect the environment, a new study claims.
Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev developed the super prawn without the use of hormones or genetic medications.
Instead, the team used a technique called androgenic gland cells transplantation, which cause female prawns to be turned into male prawns.
This males were then crossbred with females, resulting in all-female offspring.
Tom Levy, who led the study, said: “We were able to achieve the monosex population without the use of hormones or genetic modifications and thus address two major agricultural considerations: monosex populations and ecological concerns.
“Prawns serve as efficient biocontrol agents against parasite-carrying snails.
“And since we can now use monosex prawns, which do not reproduce, it reduces the hazard of prawns becoming an invasive species."
The super prawn comes shortly after a study found that freshwater prawns serve as hosts for dangerous parasites that cause a nasty disease called schistosomiasis.
Schistosomiasis can result in severe abdominal pain and diarrhoea, as well as genital lesions, vaginal bleeding, and prostate issues.
Worryingly, The World Health Organization estimates that at least 220.8 million people each year require preventive treatment for the disease.
Professor Amir Sagi, who led the study, said: “With monosex prawns at profit-maximizing densities, the prawns substantially reduce intermediate host snail populations and aid schistosomiasis control efforts.
“[It could] be a win–win strategy in terms of health and sustainable development in schistosomiasis endemic regions of the world.”
