New tool to fight mosquito

[simplemind]

A British company’s plan to unleash
hordes of genetically modified
mosquitoes in Florida to reduce the
threat of dengue fever and other
diseases has sparked an outcry from
fearful residents.
As of Friday, more than 145,000 people
had signed a petition at change.org,
urging regulators to “say no” to
allowing the tourist-friendly fishing and
diving haven to become “a testing
ground for these mutant bugs.”
The company, Oxitec, said it wants to
try the technique there in order to
reduce the non-native Aedes aegypti
mosquitoes in south Florida and
beyond.
“They are more than just a nuisance as
they can spread serious diseases such
as dengue fever and chikungunya,”
Oxitec said on its website.
The process involves inserting a gene
into lab-grown, male Aedes aegypti
mosquitoes. The added DNA makes it
impossible for their offspring to survive.
Since the males do not bite — only the
females do — the lab-grown males
would be released to mate with wild
females. These releases would take
place a few times per week.
“Both the released mosquitoes and
their offspring will die — they do not
stay in the environment,” Oxitec said,
describing the approach as “a new tool
in the fight against mosquitoes.”
Trials conducted in the Cayman Islands
and Brazil showed a more than 90 per
cent drop in mosquito populations.
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Based on those results, the Florida
Keys Mosquito Control District agreed
to work with Oxitec, which has built a
breeding lab in the Florida Keys.
But the project still needs approval
from the Food and Drug Administration
to move forward.
If it does get the green light, the
mosquito releases could begin in a few
months.
Opponents cite concern for the
environment, and worry whether other
creatures — including bats and people
— might be affected by the
introduction of the mosquitoes. “Where
is the third-party, peer-reviewed
research on effectiveness and safety of
GM mosquitoes other than Oxitec’s
own claims of success?” asks the
petition.
“Dengue fever has been absent from
the Florida Keys for years, which
indicates the current methods of
control and public education are
working. What’s the rush for this
radical approach?”
However, health experts say that
dengue is still a concern, as is
chikungunya virus, which causes a
rash, debilitating pain, fever and joint
aches.
In July 2014, a Florida man who had
not recently travelled outside the
country became the first person in the
US to get the mosquito-borne
chikungunya virus locally, and
authorities say such cases are likely to
become more common.
As a means of pest control, the concept
of releasing sterile males into the
environment is not new, according to
Joe Conlon, a technical adviser for the
American Mosquito Control Association.