Florida will release 750 million GMO mosquitoes: what they are for

A plan to release more than 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys in 2021 and 2022 has received final approval from local authorities, despite objections from many residents and a coalition of environmental groups. The proposal has already received state and federal approval. CNN.

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“Given all the pressing crises facing our country and the state of Florida (COVID-19 pandemic, racial injustice, climate change), the administration used tax dollars and government resources for an experiment,” said Jadee Hanson, policy director at the International Center for Technology Assessment and the Center for Food Safety.

“Monroe County Mosquito Control has now given the final approval required. What could go wrong? We don't know because the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has illegally refused to seriously analyze environmental risks. Now, without further risk analysis, the experiment can continue,” she added.

This pilot project, approved by the EPA in May, is intended to test whether a genetically modified mosquito is a viable alternative to spraying insecticides to control Aedes aegypti. It is a species of mosquito that carries several deadly diseases such as Zika virus, dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever.

The genes of the mosquito, named OX5034, were modified to produce female offspring that die in the larval stage long before they hatch and grow large enough to bite and spread the disease. Only the female mosquito drinks the blood that is needed to ripen the eggs. Males feed exclusively on nectar, therefore they are not carriers of diseases.

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The mosquito has also been approved for release in Harris County, Texas from 2021, according to Oxitec, which developed the genetically modified organism (GMO).

The Environmental Protection Agency granted Oxitec's request after years of research into the effects of genetically engineered mosquitoes on human health and the environment.

“This is an exciting development because it represents the pioneering work of hundreds of passionate people over more than a decade in many countries wanting to protect residents from dengue, Zika virus, yellow fever and other vector-borne diseases,” Oxitec CEO Gray Frandsen said at the time .

The Long Battle of Florida

In June, the state of Florida issued a permit for experimental use of mosquitoes after seven state agencies unanimously approved the project. But it took more than ten years to get this approval.

In 2009 and 2010, local outbreaks of dengue fever, spread by Aedes aegypti, left Florida Keys mosquito control desperate for new capabilities. Despite an avalanche of efforts—from aerial spraying and trucks to the use of mosquito-eating fish—local control efforts to contain Aedes aegypti through larvicides and pesticides have been largely ineffective.

Although Aedes aegypti makes up only 1% of the mosquito population, Florida Keys Mosquito Control typically pledges more than $ 1 million a year, a full tenth of total funding for mosquito control.

In 2012, the district turned to Oxitec for help. The company developed a male mosquito named OX513A, which was programmed to die before reaching adulthood if it was not raised in water containing the antibiotic tetracycline.

Batches of sterile OX513A will be allowed to live and mate with females; however, their male and female descendants will inherit the program and die, limiting population growth.

The OX513A has been field tested in the Cayman Islands, Panama and Brazil, and Oxitec reports a high number of successes with each release. For example, a Brazilian urban trial reduced the population of Aedes aegypti by 95%.

But when rumors spread in the Florida Keys of an impending release of mosquitoes, the public reacted immediately: more than 100 people signed a petition on Change.org against the proposal; today that number has grown to over 000.

Public relations companies reminding Florida residents that a GMO mosquito doesn't bite because it's a male hasn't completely solved the problem. According to media reports, angry residents refuse to consider themselves "guinea pigs" for the mosquito, which is called "superbug" or "robo-Frankenstein."

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The EPA has spent years studying the effects of the mosquito on both human health and the environment, allowing time for the public to participate. But in the midst of a public appraisal, Oxitec developed its second-generation Friendly Mosquito technology and withdrew the application for the first patent.

The new male mosquito, OX5034, is programmed to kill only female mosquitoes, with the males surviving for several generations and passing on the modified genes to subsequent male offspring.

The EPA authorization requires Oxitec to notify officials 72 hours before the mosquito is released and to conduct ongoing testing for at least 10 weeks to ensure that none of the female mosquitoes survive to adulthood.

However, environmental groups fear that the spread of genetically modified male genes in the wild could potentially harm endangered species of birds, insects and mammals that feed on mosquitoes.

“Releasing genetically engineered mosquitoes will needlessly put Floridians, the environment and endangered species at risk in the midst of a pandemic,” said Dana Perls, food and technology program manager for Friends of the Earth.

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