Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Released In Florida ‘Jurassic Park Experiment’

Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)
D. Richardson, UNILAD, 2021.

Mosquitos are not only annoying but they can carry disease in their bites. In response to this, a company called Oxitec has genetically modified male mosquitos to pass on a killswitch to females. It is hoped that these genetically modified pests will help stop the transmission of deadly diseases, including yellow fever, dengue and Zika virus. The Florida Keys project, which was greenlit by the US Environment Protection Agency in May 2020, has approved the release of 750 million modified mosquitos. However, at the moment only 144,000 will be released during a three-month trial period. Nonetheless, some people in the trial areas are concerned.