The use of genetically modified organisms –GMOs – in food crops like corn and soybean has become a real hot-button issue. The controversy has now spread to the use of genetic engineering to control mosquito-borne illnesses.
For a number of years, a British company called Oxitec has been using genetic engineering to modify males of the Yellow Fever Mosquito which is the primary vector for dengue fever. When modified males breed with wild females, the offspring inherit a lethal gene and die in the larval stage.
The method has proven itself in several places around the world, including the Cayman Islands, Brazil, Malaysia, and Panama. Overall, it reduced mosquito populations by 90%.
Dengue fever had been absent from the US for the better part of a century, but reemerged in Florida in 2009. The state as been spending millions of dollars to try to control the yellow fever mosquitos and recently applied for federal approval to do a trial release of the Oxitec mosquitos.
There has been a strong backlash in the Florida Keys, where more than 155,000 people signed a petition opposing the trial. The concern is a basic distrust of genetic engineering.
Scientists say that the GMO approach to the mosquito problem is more effective and environmentally benign than spraying pesticides and other measures. They also point out that if there is an irrational fear of being bitten by a genetically-modified mosquito, that should not be a concern. Only the females bite and only the males are modified.
As the science of genetic engineering continues to evolve, it is clear that there needs to be extensive risk research to better inform regulatory decisions.
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Genetically Modified Mosquito Sparks a Controversy in Florida
Photo, posted October 29, 2012, courtesy of John Tann via Flickr.
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Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.