Potential Adverse Effects of GE Mosquitoes Unknown

“Safe and sustainable.” That’s what Oxitec, a British biological pest control company, calls its genetically modified (GM) or genetically engineered (GE) mosquito pesticide product. The company claims its product is nontoxic to humans and animals and won’t harm beneficial insects such as bees and butterflies. The experiment’s goal is to test the use of GE mosquitoes for reducing the transmission of diseases such as dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever. The method of action is post-CRISPR, but uses similar gene engineering technology—inserting a double whammy into the Aedes aegypti male mosquito: a lethal gene and a fluorescent gene (for tracking). “The goal here is not to kill mosquitoes,” said epidemiologist Thomas Scott of the GE mosquito projects in Science magazine, “It’s to prevent people from getting infected and sick and dying.”

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