Local authorities have approved a process to release an estimated 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes into the Florida Keys. The project has already received state and federal approval and will start in 2021. Still, the idea hasn't gained wide acceptance by local residents and a coalition of environmental groups.
In June, the UK-based biotechnology company Oxitec received approval from the Environmental Protection Agency to use genetically modified mosquitoes to control the breeding of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. This type of mosquito is known to spread several deadly diseases such as dengue, Zika, yellow fever, and chikungunya. The pilot project will also evaluate the effectiveness of modified mosquitoes and the possibility of using them as a viable alternative to insecticide spraying.
The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District desperately sought new options after the local dengue epidemics of 2009 and 2010, spread by Aedes aegypti. Local authority efforts to contain Aedes aegypti using larvicide and pesticides had been broadly ineffective and costly. Afterward, the district turned to Oxitec in 2012 to produce genetically engineered male mosquitoes called OX513A.
Oxitec's OX513A genetically modify mosquitoes are programmed to produce female offspring that die in the larvae stage. It was field-tested in the Cayman Islands, Panama, and Brazil, from which Oxitec reports a high success rate. However, it took them over a decade to obtain approval.
Environmental groups warn that the genetically modified male genes could potentially jeopardize animals and insects that feed on the mosquitoes. Moreover, they fear that these mosquitoes may mutate to become more resistant to insecticides. Though the Floridian public relations run campaigns to convince that only the female mosquito bites, some 242,000 people have signed a petition against the project realization.
Bibliography
“750 Million Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes Approved for Release in Florida Keys.” Center for Food Safety, 19 Aug. 2020, www.centerforfoodsafety.org/press-releases/6126/750-million-genetically-engineered-mosquitoes-approved-for-release-in-florida-keys.
“Florida Mosquitoes: 750 Million Genetically Modified Insects to Be Released.” BBC News, BBC, 20 Aug. 2020, www.bbc.com/news/amp/world-us-canada-53856776.
Wednesday, August 26. “Florida Keys to Release 750 Million Genetically Modified Mosquitoes.” Lab Equipment, 26 Aug. 2020, www.laboratoryequipment.com/567531-Florida-Keys-to-Release-750-Million-Genetically-Modified-Mosquitoes/.
