Genetically modified mosquito larvae will be released in the US. Oxitec has previously released the aegypti Aedes mosquito in Brazil, the Cayman Islands, Panama and Malaysia, and the company has reported that the local strain of A. aegypti has reduced by at least 90%. A. aegypti can carry diseases such as Zika, dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever, and the release of genetically modified mosquitoes is one way to control this population without the use of insecticides. Oxitec’s genetically engineered mosquitoes are male, engineered to carry lethal genes; When genetically modified pests mate with wild female mosquitoes, the lethal gene is passed on to their offspring. Although the gene does not affect the survival of males, it prevents females from building an essential protein and thus causes them to die before adulthood. Only female mosquitoes bite humans (male mosquitoes only drink nectar), so denatured mosquitoes and their surviving males cannot transmit disease to humans. A. aegypti mosquitoes make up about 4% of all mosquitoes in the Florida Keys but cause the majority of mosquito-borne diseases in the area. The region typically spends $1 million a year on mosquito control, resorting to costly measures such as aerial spraying. Release of hundreds of millions of genetically modified mosquitoes could be a less expensive and more effective option, especially as mosquito populations become resistant to pesticides over time. Oxitec was approached by the local government in 2010, and after a decade of regulatory review and local feedback, both the board and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finally approved the plan. Release of genetically modified mosquitoes in the Keys. At the end of April, the company placed boxes of mosquito eggs at six locations in Cudjoe Key, Ramrod Key and Vaca Key, according to Nature. Over the next 12 weeks, about 12,000 newly hatched male mosquitoes will emerge from the box. This will be an initial test so Oxitec can collect data before conducting a second test with nearly 20 million mosquitoes later this year. The company will capture mosquitoes during the test to see how far the insects travel from their boxes, how long they live, and whether female mosquitoes actually pick up the lethal gene and die. To make it easier to track genetically engineered mosquitoes, Oxitec introduced a gene that causes the mosquitoes to glow under a specific color of light. The experiment was met with strong opposition from a small portion of Florida Keys residents, as well as the Florida Keys Environmental Alliance and Food Safety Center. Concerned that the boxes of mosquito eggs could be vandalized, Oxitec placed them in a secret place and did not reveal their exact location to the public. Questions remain as to whether genetically modified mosquitoes cause undesirable effects on mosquitoes, local animals, or the ecosystem at large. For example, after Oxitec released genetically modified mosquitoes in Jacobina, Brazil, genes from the insect were mutilated in local mosquito populations, suggesting that the lethal gene failed to kill some females before they can mate. According to a 2019 study published in the journal Scientific Reports, their hybrids did not carry the lethal gene, but instead carried genes from the original Cuban and Mexican mosquito populations used to create the modified mosquitoes. genes. It is unclear whether these new genes may have changed the biology of the mosquito. Molecular biologist Natalie Kofler, founder of E Edit Nature, an organization that advocates for the responsible use of gene editing, told Nature she hopes the Oxitec test will be conducted in a transparent and in a way that might make some community members feel better about the whole situation.

An individual Aedes aegypti mosquito captured in Costa Rica (Image: Reuters) Proposed by the Florida Keys Mosquito Control Authority (FKMCD) and Oxitec – a British biotechnology company supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation – this project aims to release large numbers of volatile mosquitoes. genetically modified in the Florida Keys this week; the two organizations said in a joint statement. As the first step of the plan, mosquito bins will be placed in six sites, and within 12 weeks will release about 144,000 Aedes aegypti mosquitoes – the strains most closely linked to infectious diseases such as fever. hemorrhage, Zika and yellow fever. If the plan works out, male mosquitoes that are unable to bite will mate with local female mosquitoes – resulting in the death of their eggs – helping to control Aedes aegypti populations and reduce transmission. epidemic spread. Approved by the Environmental Protection Agency in May 2020, the project also seeks to reduce the doses of local chemical insecticides that are harmful to the wildlife. The UK-based company, founded at the University of Oxford in 2002, also claims that it has a “high level of” support from the Florida Keys residents. But in fact, many local people expressed skepticism, even expressed opposition to local leaders. “We are not scientists, but we can read. What Oxitec says and what we read from other sources is completely different, ”Meagan Hull, a local resident, told a village council meeting in March. “We realized that it was a crime that we were forced to participate in this experiment,” Hull said. Another local resident said she was “extremely concerned” about the upcoming plan, pointing to the risk that genetically modified female mosquitoes will emerge massively in the community. “Everyone says it won’t happen, but I don’t believe it,” she said, pointing to the “lack of transparency” of Oxitec and government agencies. Even some officials have expressed concern, with Council member Mark Gregg calling the genetically modified mosquitoes “Frankenstein mosquitoes”. “I heard others say that we are being turned into guinea pigs” – he said. However, FKMCD confirmed the need to improve mosquito control measures, given that some species of mosquitoes are becoming resistant to insecticides, adding that Oxitec’s project could provide the tools. new “safe, friendly with the environment and with a focus”. Oxitec is no stranger to genetically engineered mosquitoes, and has released more than 1 billion of these mosquitoes in South America and the Caribbean, as a 27-month trial in Brazil in 2013, seek to reduce local mosquito populations by 90%. Like the current Florida Keys initiative, genetically modified mosquito eggs are planned to die in Brazil, but Oxitec drew criticism in 2019 after researchers released a report showing mosquitoes. reproduce as usual, and up to 60% of the individuals analyzed have traces of genetic modification. A similar Oxitec project in the Cayman Islands was also canceled in 2018, after local officials concluded it had failed. Health Minister Dwayne Seymour also said the plan “did not achieve the results we thought”. A few months before the Cayman Islands contract collapsed, the company announced it was a partner with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation of US billionaire Bill Gates to produce “friendly” mosquitoes, this time the strain. Anopheles transmits malaria. Since then, Oxitec has received only a modest $ 8.5 million from the Gates Foundation, according to its financial statements, and has received more than $ 1.2 million year-to-date alone.

Mosquitoes transmit diseases such as chikungunya, dengue fever and zika. (Source: wwmedgroup) These mosquito carriers, species rodent animals Destroying crops, wood boring insects, and even domestic cats are invasive species that are causing enormous harm to humans and the natural environment. According to a study published March 31 in the journal Nature, researchers working at the Laboratory of Ecology, Taxonomy and Evolution at the University of Paris-Sacla in France estimate invasive species. the so-called damaging alien species has cost the global economy nearly $ 1,300 since 1970, averaging $ 26.8 billion a year. The actual number could be even higher, researchers warn. The team synthesized a wide range of harms that invasive species cause to different habitats, including plants, insects, reptiles, birds, fish, mollusks, microorganisms or animals. mammal. Most harm is related to ecosystems, crops, fisheries and disease control measures. The team has made a preliminary list of the top 10 invasive pests, including the plant-eating rats and the Asian gypsy moth – two species that are devastating crops across the Northern Hemisphere. The list also includes zebra mosquitoes native to Southeast Asia that transmit diseases such as chikungunya, dengue fever and Zika. According to the researchers, the average annual damage caused by invasive species triples every decade. However, there is some evidence that the number of invasive species has increased “exponentially” due to increasing international trade, as humans import many species of organisms. In Australia, wild rabbit populations of European origin, first recorded in the early 19th century, have become invasive species causing great harm to the ecology of the Oceania nation. this over the past 150 years. They reproduce at an uncontrollable rate, consume soil, damage native species, as well as destroy crops with billions of dollars in damage. On the island of Guam, US overseas territories in the Pacific, invasive brown tree snakes native to Australia and Indonesia have “slaughtered” the majority of native bird and lizard populations since being accidentally brought in to come here in the mid-20th century. They also threaten people and sneak into equipment, causing frequent power outages. In forests in the US and more recently Europe, the longhorn beetle originating from Asia is also destroying the vegetation, causing serious damage to the ecosystem. According to the study, domestic cats are also among the top 10 invasive pests. This animal that has been “traveling” around the world for hundreds of years has now become an “invasive” species on most islands in the world, “slaughtering” birds, reptiles and animals. Amphibians in many parts of the world. The United Nations Scientific Advisory Committee on Biodiversity (IPBES) said that it is among the top 5 culprits of environmental destruction worldwide, along with changes in land use and resource exploitation. , pollution and climate change. In 2019, IPBES estimates that the number of invasive species has increased to 70% since 1970 in the 21 countries studied. Laboratory director on Franck Courchamp said international trade will increase more species of organisms introduced, while climate change will help more of these imported species survive and thrive. With the above research, scientists hope that by giving a figure of the damage caused by invasive species, people as well as authorities will raise awareness about the severity. of invasive species. Early detection, good data combined with preventive measures can significantly reduce the damage invasive species cause. The researchers also hope this issue will be included in the list of the serious environmental challenges facing humanity to receive more attention.