How genetically modified mosquitoes are used as insecticides against diseases

By Nneka Nwogwugwu


A Bill Gates-funded biotech firm, Oxitec technology, recently released genetically modified mosquitoes in Florida to combat insect-borne diseases like dengue fever and Zika virus.


The biotech firm based in the UK collaborated with Florida Keys Mosquito Control District (FKMCD) to develop the GM mosquitoes.


After a decade of fighting for regulatory approval and public acceptance, the firm released genetically engineered mosquitoes into the open air in the United States for the first time on May 3.


This was after the approval by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).


EPA authorized use of OX5034 genetically modified Ae. aegypti mosquitoes for release in counties in Florida and Texas.


This EPA authorization allows local mosquito control programs to evaluate how effective GM mosquitoes are in reducing Ae. aegypti mosquitoes in areas where they have been released.


The experiment was launched in the Florida Keys.



GM mosquitoes have been successfully used in parts of Brazil, the Cayman Islands, Panama, and India to control Ae. aegypti mosquitoes. Since 2019, over 1 billion mosquitoes have been released, the CDC revealed on its website.



Florida Keys Mosquito Control District (FKMCD) in 2010 approached Oxitec about testing its approach in the Keys, because Florida was — and still is — experiencing an increase in mosquito-borne disease.


Project researchers in April 2021, placed boxes containing Oxitec’s mosquito eggs at six locations in three areas of the Keys. The first males are expected to emerge within the first two weeks of May. About 12,000 males will exit the boxes each week over the next 12 weeks.


In a second phase later this year, intended to collect even more data, nearly 20 million mosquitoes will emerge over a period of about 16 weeks, according to Oxitec.


To monitor the trial’s progress, researchers will use capture devices to trap mosquitoes for study. They will measure how far the male mosquitoes travel from the boxes, how long they live, how effectively they squelch the wild female mosquito population and whether all of the females with the gene are indeed dying.



Genetically engineered mosquitoes are an alternative to insecticides, which are used heavily in the United States to control insect populations. This has resulted in the evolution of mosquitoes that are resistant to insecticides, Oxitec stated.


The Centre for Disease Control and prevention explained that the release of GM mosquitoes is not intended to stop an outbreak, however, releasing GM mosquitoes over several months can reduce the number of a specific mosquito species, such as Ae. aegypti.


The EPA evaluated the potential risk of releasing GM mosquitoes into communities and determined that there is no risk to people, animals, or the environment.


While explaining how the GM mosquitoes are used to control diseases, the CDC said that the GM male mosquito eggs that carry the self-limiting gene are released into an area. Once they have hatched and develop through to the adult stage, they are available to mate with wild females. The genes are passed on to offspring.


The female offspring die before they become adults. As a result, the number of Ae. aegypti mosquitoes in the area decreases, thereby eliminating diseases.



Unlike species that carry other diseases which may swarm and bite viciously, the female Aedes aegypti is sneaky. She prefers to hide under your chair, waiting for just the right moment to attack, typically during the daytime. Capturing a sip or two of your blood, she deposits any virus she carries and departs — moving on to the next victim.



Oxitec’s solution to the problem is OX5034 — a 2.0 version of its original Aedes aegypti modification. Unlike version 1.0, designed to kill all offspring, the newer model has been genetically altered to pass along a lethal gene that only kills females.


However, public backlash rose when information about its release went viral. More than 100,000 people signed a Change.org petition against the proposal.


The EPA and US Food and Drug Administration spent years investigating the mosquito’s impact on both human health and the environment, allowing time for public input along the way.



But public relations campaigns reminding Floridians that the male GMO mosquito doesn’t bite didn’t solve the problem.



In the midst of the evaluation, Oxitec developed the second-generation OX5034, which it dubbed the “Friendly” Aedes aegypti mosquito, and withdrew the application for the first.



Today, environmental groups and local advocates worry that the new “Friendly” mosquito has not been as rigorously tested as the first generation, a claim that Oxitec roundly refutes, CNN reports.



Critics say they will not stop fighting the release, saying that they aren’t speaking with officials in the Biden administration’s EPA and may even consider legal action.


Reacting to this, a medical doctor in anonymity, told NatureNews that the GM mosquitoes is a research that is still unknown to Nigeria.



He said that the female mosquitos is known for transmitting malaria that has killed many Nigerians.



He urged that Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) should come up with a research on the effectiveness of genetically modified mosquitoes in eradicating diseases in Nigeria.