FIVE THINGS ABOUT A MOSQUITO EXPERIMENT
1
WHAT IS THE EXPERIMENT?
Authorities in Florida have approved an experiment to release 750 million genetically engineered mosquitoes into the Florida Keys. The project will test whether a genetically modified mosquito is a better alternative than insecticides that can control the spread of Aedes aegypti, otherwise known as the yellow fever mosquito. The female mosquito is known to bite for blood in order to mature her eggs and, in turn, spreads a variety of diseases such as dengue fever, zika and chikungunya. Males, which only feed on nectar, are not a carrier for disease. “This is an exciting development,” Grey Frandson, CEO of Oxitec, the firm that created the mosquito, said in a statement at the time.
2
HOW IS THE MOSQUITO MODIFIED?
The experiment mosquito, named OX5034, has been altered to produce female offspring that will die in the larval stage, preventing them from hatching and growing large enough to bite. Male 0X5034 mosquitos have also been programmed to only kill female mosquitos.
3
HOW HAS THE PUBLIC RESPONDED?
Although promotional campaigns emphasize that the new mosquitos won’t bite, public backlash against the experiment has been fierce. Several media reports have quoted residents who said they refuse to be treated as “guinea pigs” for the “Robo-Frankenstein” mosquito. “With all the urgent crises facing our nation and the State of Florida — the COVID-19 pandemic, racial injustice, climate change — the administration has used tax dollars and government resources for a Jurassic Park experiment,” said Jaydee Hanson, policy director for the International Center for Technology Assessment and Center for Food Safety.
4
ARE THERE ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS?
Activists are concerned that the release of such a massive population of mosquitos could have a detrimental effect on wildlife and potentially endanger species of birds, insects and mammals that feed on the mosquitoes.
5
HAS THIS BEEN DONE BEFORE?
This will be the second time that these mosquitos will be field tested. Oxitec conducted their first tests in May 2018, releasing the mosquitos into four separate communities in the city of Indaiatuba, Brazil.