‘Just Add Water’ GM Mosquitoes Suppress Wild Population by 95%

In order to reduce the spread of dengue, Oxitec releases genetically modified male Aedes mosquitoes into the environment. Once in the wild, these insects breed with local female mosquitoes and pass on a gene that causes female offspring to die at an early age. This method was reported to suppress the Aedes aegypti population by up to 96% in Brazil last year.

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes carry a number of infections including dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever. Dengue has increased almost 15-fold over the last 20 years, and is a particular problem in Brazil.

Normally, Oxitec — recently sold by the US company Intrexon to the US VC firm Third Security — releases adult mosquitoes into the wild from airtight vehicles, which requires specialized equipment, infrastructure, and trained staff. However, with Brazil giving full approval of Oxitec’s genetically modified Aedes aegypti today, the company recently tested a way to scale up the release of the mosquitoes.

Oxitec’s new technology encapsulates eggs containing male larvae from its genetically modified Aedes aegypti mosquito. The capsule is designed to dissolve in water and provide a cheaper and easier release method for non-experts..

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