Hordes of genetically modified insects set to be released in Australia: ‘They can smell you’
Hordes of genetically modified insects set to be released in Australia: ‘They can smell you’
Tags: Genetically modified mosquitoes, Oceania, Oxitec, Sex distorterMichael Dahlstrom, Yahoo News, 2025.
Dengue fever is at record levels around the globe, with this trend now beginning to be reflected in Australia as the mosquito species that carries the virus spreads. It means a simple bite could soon trigger symptoms worse than an annoying itch, with victims often experiencing pain behind the eyes, headaches, muscle aches, and nausea for over a week. Surprisingly, elsewhere in the world, one solution to combatting the spread of dengue fever is breeding more of the mosquitoes in large factories. And that’s what UK-based Oxitec is now planning to do in Australia as it partners with the country’s national science agency, the CSIRO.
The company operates the world’s largest mosquito breeding factory, which is located in Brazil. Inside are boxes containing thousands of “friendly” mosquitoes that are genetically engineered so only non-biting males survive. After they’re released by local governments, they breed with wild females, and because their offspring will also be majority male, the overall population can rapidly be reduced by over 95 per cent in a few breeding cycles. Australian governments could be purchasing and releasing Oxitic’s strain of “friendly” mosquitoes in the next one to two years, if the plan receives regulatory approval.
