Keywords: SIT
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Additive Effect of Releasing Sterile Insects Plus Biocontrol Agents against Fruit Fly Pests (Diptera: Tephritidae) under Confined ConditionsP. Montoya, E. Flores-Sarmiento, P. López, A. Ayala and J. Cancino, Insects, 14. 2023.
Pest control models integrating the use of the sterile insect technique (SIT) and augmentative biological control (ABC) have postulated that it is possible to obtain a synergistic effect from the joint use of these technologies. This synergistic effect is attributed to the ... |
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Vector competence of sterile male Glossina fuscipes fuscipes for Trypanosoma brucei brucei: implications for the implementation of the sterile insect technique in a sleeping sickness focus in ChadM. H. Mahamat, A. Ségard, J.-B. Rayaisse, R. Argiles-Herrero, A. G. Parker, P. Solano, A. M. M. Abd-Alla, J. Bouyer and S. Ravel, Parasites and Vectors, 16:111. 2023.
Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) is a neglected tropical disease caused by Trypanosoma brucei gambiense transmitted by tsetse flies in sub‑Saharan West Africa. In southern Chad the most active and persistent focus is the Mandoul focus, with 98% of the reported human cases, ... |
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The sex pheromone heptacosane enhances the mating competitiveness of sterile Aedes aegypti malesL.-M. Wang, N. Li, M. Zhang, Q. Tang, H.-Z. Lu, Q.-Y. Zhou, J.-X. Niu, L. Xiao, Z.-Y. Peng, C. Zhang, M. Liu, D.-Q. Wang and S.-Q. Deng, Parasites and Vectors, 16:102. 2023.
Aedes aegypti is a vector that transmits various viral diseases, including dengue and Zika. The radiation-based sterile insect technique (SIT) has a limited effect on mosquito control because of the difficulty in irradiating males without reducing their mating competitiveness. In ... |
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Galapagos to receive male mosquitoes for vector control in EcuadorA. R. Martin, Prensa Latina, 2023.
The Galapagos Islands will receive 100,000 sterile male mosquitoes as part of a new vector control strategy in Ecuador, the Center for Research in Infectious and Vector Diseases (CIREV) announced. Reducing the Aedes aegypti in Ecuador is in charge of the National Institute for ... |
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Will new genetic engineering tech finally eliminate malaria?Anonymous, Business Daily, 2023.
Richard Mukabana, a senior research and policy analyst at African Institute for Development Policy, says the technology which employs the principle of sending a thief to catch a thief may yet prove the most effective. “It is only a mosquito that knows where another mosquito is ... |
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From the Lab to the Field: Long-Distance Transport of Sterile Aedes MosquitoesH. Maïga, M. T. Bakhoum, W. Mamai, G. Diouf, N. S. Bimbilé Somda, T. Wallner, C. Martina, S. S. Kotla, O. B. Masso, H. Yamada, B. B. D. Sow, A. G. Fall and J. Bouyer, Insects, 14. 2023.
Pilot programs of the sterile insect technique (SIT) against Aedes aegypti may rely on importing significant and consistent numbers of high-quality sterile males from a distant mass rearing factory. As such, long-distance mass transport of sterile males may contribute to meet ... |
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White-Eyed Fruit Flies: How Improvements in Gene Editing Could Aid in Pest ManagemenC. Bernhardt, Entomology Today, 2023.
The SIT involves scientists raising the target fruit fly species in the lab, sterilizing the flies by exposing them to a certain amount of radiation while they are still pupae, and releasing large amounts of the newly sterile flies into nature. When the released, sterile flies ... |
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When less is more: accounting for overcompensation in mosquito SIT projectsJ. Bouyer, Trends in Parasitology, 2023.
Compensation and overcompensation under field conditions are confirmed in Aedes mosquitoes recently by Evans et al.: equal or increased densities of emerging adults may thus result from reduced larval densities. Here the consequences when applying the sterile insect technique and ... |
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Imperial startup Biocentis to develop genetic tech to control harmful insectsD. Silverman, Imperial College London, 2023.
The Imperial startup was founded in 2022 by Imperial researchers in partnership with technology-focused investment group Neurone to create a more effective and sustainable alternative to pesticides. While insects play an essential role in the global ecosystem, among the ... |
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Joint FAO/IAEA Coordinated Research Project on Mosquito Handling, Transport, Release and Male Trapping Methods in Support of SIT Application to Control MosquitoesM. Gómez, B. J. Johnson, H. C. Bossin and R. Argilés-Herrero, Insects, 14. 2023.
The research carried out in the framework of this CRP generated key achievements in areas relevant to the SIT application to control mosquitoes. Among these outcomes, particular mentions must be given to the following: (1) Novel and efficient self-marking techniques were ... |
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Effects of gamma radiation on the vector competence of Aedes aegypti (diptera: Culicidae) to transmit Zika virusE. B. da Silva, C. M. de Mendonça, D. R. D. Guedes, M. H. S. Paiva, J. d. A. Mendonça, E. S. F. Dias, S. G. L. Florêncio, A. Amaral, A. M. Netto, C. F. J. A. Lopes and M. A. V. de Melo-Santos, Acta Tropica, 239:106831. 2023.
One of the limitations of the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), conventionally performed by ionizing radiation, regards separating males from females, which is not 100% effective. Some irradiated females may be released together with males in the field at SIT. The present study ... |
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Sterility of Aedes albopictus by X-ray Irradiation as an Alternative to γ-ray Irradiation for the Sterile Insect TechniqueL.-M. Wang, N. Li, C.-P. Ren, Z.-Y. Peng, H.-Z. Lu, D. Li, X.-Y. Wu, Z.-X. Zhou, J.-Y. Deng, Z.-H. Zheng, R.-Q. Wang, Y.-N. Du, D.-Q. Wang and S.-Q. Deng, Pathogens, 12. 2023.
The mosquito Aedes albopictus can transmit various arboviral diseases, posing a severe threat to human health. As an environmentally friendly method, sterile insect technology (SIT) is considered an alternative to traditional methods such as chemical pesticides to control Ae. ... |
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Biotech company released 2.4 billions GM Mosquitoes in two parts of the U.SC. Victorial, NEWSBREAK, 2022.
Due to the high death rate that mosquitoes have inflicted, The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved the release of 2.4 billion genetically modified mosquitoes in selected regions of California and Florida. These modified mosquitoes were created by a biotechnology ... |
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Gene drive designs for efficient and localisable population suppression using Y-linked editorsR. Geci, K. Willis and A. Burt, PLOS Genetics, 18:e1010550. 2022.
Author summary Some pest populations can be successfully controlled by the inundative release of sterile males, but this approach is not practicable when the target population is large or the species difficult to rear. Computer modelling has previously demonstrated that releasing ... |
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Survival-Larval Density Relationships in the Field and Their Implications for Control of Container-Dwelling Aedes MosquitoesK. G. Evans, Z. R. Neale, B. Holly, C. C. Canizela and S. A. Juliano, Insects, 14. 2022.
Population density can affect survival, growth, development time, and adult size and fecundity, which are collectively known as density-dependent effects. Container Aedes larvae often attain high densities in nature, and those densities may be reduced when larval control is ... |
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Mating Competitiveness of Irradiated Lobesia botrana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in Male-Only and Both Sex Release Strategies under Laboratory Cage ConditionsG. Saour, A. Hashem and I. Jassem, Insects, 14. 2022.
This laboratory study explored the concept of whether irradiated male-only releases are more or equally efficient as releases of both irradiated males and females in the context of using the sterile insect technique/inherited sterility (SIT/IS) for the management of the European ... |
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Assessing the efficacy of male Wolbachia-infected mosquito deployments to reduce dengue incidence in Singapore: study protocol for a cluster-randomized controlled trialJ. Ong, S. H. Ho, S. X. H. Soh, Y. Wong, Y. Ng, K. Vasquez, Y. L. Lai, Y. X. Setoh, C. S. Chong, V. Lee, J. C. C. Wong, C. H. Tan, S. Sim, L. C. Ng and J. T. Lim, Trials, 23:1023. 2022.
The study is designed as a parallel, two-arm, non-blinded cluster-randomized (CR) controlled trial to be conducted in high-rise public housing estates in Singapore, an equatorial city-state. The aim is to determine whether large-scale deployment of male Wolbachia-infected Ae. ... |
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East Maui project hopes mosquito v. mosquito mating battle will save endangered birdsK. Cerizo, MAUINOW, 2022.
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A mass rearing cost calculator for the control of Culex quinquefasciatus in Hawaiʻi using the incompatible insect techniqueA. E. Vorsino and Z. Xi, Parasites and Vectors, 15:453. 2022.
Hawaiʻi’s native forest avifauna is experiencing drastic declines due to climate change-induced increases in temperature encroaching on their upper-elevation montane rainforest refugia. Higher temperatures support greater avian malaria infection rates due to greater densities ... |
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Does severe hypoxia during irradiation of Aedes aegypti pupae improve sterile male performance?D. A. Tussey, K. J. Linthicum and D. A. Hahn, Parasites and Vectors, 15:446. 2022.
The yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, vectors several pathogens responsible for human diseases. As a result, this mosquito species is a priority for control by mosquito control districts in Florida. With insecticide resistance development becoming a concern, alternative ... |
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Developing radiation-based sterile insect technique (SIT) for controlling Aedes aegypti: identification of a sterilizing doseC. Chen, R. L. Aldridge, S. Gibson, J. Kline, V. Aryaprema, W. Qualls, R.-d. Xue, L. Boardman, K. J. Linthicum and D. A. Hahn, Pest Management Science, 2022.
Abstract Background The sterile insect technique (SIT) is emerging as a tool to supplement traditional pesticide-based control of Aedes aegypti, a prominent mosquito vector of microbes that have increased the global burden of human morbidity and mortality over the past 50?years. ... |
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Calif. Legislature bites back at GE mosquito releasesL. Patrick, Sun Gazette, 2022.
A biotech company created millions of genetically modified mosquitoes, but not in the Jurassic Park sense. The lab grown species could actually lower the population of an invasive mosquito that carries a plethora of diseases on its shoulders.On Nov. 3, several members of the ... |
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D. O. Carvalho, R. Morreale, S. Stenhouse, D. A. Hahn, M. Gomez, A. Lloyd and D. Hoel, Parasites and Vectors, 15:405. 2022.
The sterile insect technique (SIT), which involves area-wide inundative releases of sterile insects to suppress the reproduction of a target species, has proven to be an effective pest control method. The technique demands the continuous release of sterilized insects in ... |
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Genetically modified mosquitoes cut the insect’s number by 96 per centM. Fauzia, NewScientist, 2022.
The release of genetically modified male mosquitoes into a city in Brazil temporarily cut the virus-carrying insects by up to 96 per cent. Although not a permanent fix, periodically releasing such mosquitoes could reduce the burden of infections including dengue, malaria and ... |
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Zombie Deer and the Scientists Behind the War on the ‘Man Eater’S. Jones, NC STATE CALS News, 2022.
In the remote jungles of the Panama-Colombia border, sterile flesh-eating flies fall from the sky in the thousands. Released from retired military planes, they embark on a suicide mission for their species, with the sole purpose of duping their female counterparts into mating ... |
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Combating Mosquito-Borne Diseases with CRISPRN. Spahich, The Scientist, 2022.
Female mosquitoes are some of the deadliest organisms in the world due to their ability to spread infectious diseases through a simple bite. Mosquito-borne diseases such as yellow fever, Zika, Dengue fever, and malaria kill millions of humans every year, and there are limited ... |
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Quality control traceability during the packing and release process of Ceratitis capitata for sterile insect techniqueY. Contreras-Navarro, H. Luis-Alvarez, G. García-Coapio, R. Hernández, S. Flores and P. Montoya, Journal of Applied Entomology, 2022.
Abstract In programmes applying the sterile insect technique (SIT), the quality of insects deployed in the field determines the success in preventing, suppressing, containing or eradicating the pest population. In the fruit fly emergence and release facility (ERF) of the Moscamed ... |
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Fact Check: Bill Gates’ genetically modified mosquitoes are responsible for mosquito-borne viruses in Florida and are part of the next planned pandemic.A. Williams, The Paradise, 2022.
The genetically modified mosquitoes in Florida are part of a project by Oxitec that Bill Gates did not fund. The virus reported in Florida is the West Nile virus, which has had reported cases in most U.S. states since 1999, with lower cases in 2022 than in previous years. The ... |
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Modified mosquito releases to fight dengue fever, chikungunya or yellow feverSewell, Tammy, OICANADIAN, 2022.
To date, only one technique based on genetically modified mosquitoes has been developed at an operational level, it is the RIDL technique (release of insects carrying a dominant lethal gene, or release of insects carrying a dominant lethality gene). Male mosquitoes which, unlike ... |
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Life-history traits of a fluorescent Anopheles arabiensis genetic sexing strain introgressed into South African genomic backgroundN. L. Ntoyi, T. Mashatola, J. Bouyer, C. Kraupa, H. Maiga, W. Mamai, N. S. Bimbile-Somda, T. Wallner, D. O. Carvalho, G. Munhenga and H. Yamada, Malaria Journal, 21:12. 2022.
Background South Africa has set a mandate to eliminate local malaria transmission by 2023. In pursuit of this objective a Sterile Insect Technique programme targeting the main vector Anopheles arabiensis is currently under development. Significant progress has been made towards ... |
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Oregon State University professor releases destructive moths, wasps into orchardsE. Francovich, statesman journal, 2022.
Each week for the past three months Christopher Adams, a professor at Oregon State University, has released upward of 4,000 codling moths into the Columbia Gorge’s fertile orchards. The drab, half-inch nonnative insects don’t look like much, but when they lay their larvae ... |
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CRISPR, an eco-friendly technology, may detect crop pestsW. Adam, list23, 2022.
Drosophila suzukii, an invading insect pest, is a threat to agricultural yields, especially to the production of fruits such as strawberries, cherries, plums, and grapes in western countries. Until now, control measures to stop the spread of D. suzukii have been inadequate. A ... |
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Precision Guided Sterile Males Suppress Populations of an Invasive Crop PestN. P. Kandul, J. Liu, A. Buchman, I. C. Shriner, R. M. Corder, N. Warsinger-Pepe, T. Yang, A. K. Yadav, M. J. Scott, J. M. Marshall and O. S. Akbari, GEN Biotechnology, 1:372-385. 2022.
The Drosophila suzukii invasion of western countries has created an immense agricultural and economic threat to crop production. Despite many attempts to suppress its population, D. suzukii continues to destroy soft-flesh fruits. Precision guided sterile insect technique (pgSIT) ... |
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CRISPR-based technology targets global crop pestUniversity of California - San Diego, Phys Org, 2022.
Applying new CRISPR-based technology to a broad agricultural need, researchers at the University of California San Diego have set their aims on a worldwide pest known to decimate valuable food crops. Nikolay Kandul, Omar Akbari and their colleagues first demonstrated the ... |
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Effect of Wolbachia Infection and Adult Food on the Sexual Signaling of Males of the Mediterranean Fruit Fly Ceratitis capitataG. A. Kyritsis, P. Koskinioti, K. Bourtzis and N. T. Papadopoulos, Insects, 13. 2022.
Sexual signaling is a fundamental component of sexual behavior of Ceratitis capitata that highly determines males' mating success. Nutritional status and age are dominant factors known to affect males' signaling performance and define the female decision to accept a male as a ... |
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Sterility of Cydia pomonella by X ray irradiation as an alternative to gamma radiation for the sterile insect techniqueJ.-H. Zhang, N. Li, H.-Y. Zhao, Y.-Q. Wang, X.-Q. Yang and K.-M. Wu, Bulletin of Entomological Research, 2022.
The codling moth Cydia pomonella is a major pest of global significance impacting pome fruits and walnuts. It threatens the apple industry in the Loess Plateau and Bohai Bay in China. Sterile insect technique (SIT) could overcome the limitations set by environmentally compatible ... |
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Robust control strategy by the Sterile Insect Technique for reducing epidemiological risk in presence of vector migrationP.-A. Bliman and Y. Dumont, Mathematical Biosciences, 350:108856. 2022.
The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) is a promising technique to control mosquitoes, vectors of diseases, like dengue, chikungunya or Zika. However, its application in the field is not easy, and its success hinges upon several constraints, one of them being that the treated area ... |
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Gene drive designs for efficient and localisable population suppression using Y-linked editorsR. Geci, K. Willis and A. Burt, bioRxiv, 2022.06.29.498122. 2022.
The sterile insect technique (SIT) has been successful in controlling some pest species but is not practicable for many others due to the large numbers of individuals that need to be reared and released. Previous computer modelling has demonstrated that the release of males ... |
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The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District & Oxitec Announce Launch of Next Phase of Ground-Breaking ProjectOxitec, Oxitec, 2022.
In a continuation of the FKMCD-Oxitec Mosquito Project, Oxitec and FKMCD announced that a new phase of the project (“Pilot D”) will be initiated on or after July 7th, 2022. This phase of the project will examine single-point releases of Oxitec’s male mosquitoes. In March ... |
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Manipulating Insect Sex Determination Pathways for Genetic Pest Management: Opportunities and ChallengesA. Siddall, T. Harvey-Samuel, T. Chapman and P. T. Leftwich, Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 10. 2022.
Sex determination pathways in insects are generally characterised by an upstream primary signal, which is highly variable across species, and that regulates the splicing of a suite of downstream but highly-conserved genes (transformer, doublesex and fruitless). In turn, these ... |
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The AalNix3&4 isoform is required and sufficient to convert Aedes albopictus females into malesY. Zhao, B. Jin, P. Liu, X. Xiao, L. Cai, Z. Xie, L. Kong, T. Liu, W. Yang, Y. Wu, J. Gu, Z. Tu, A. A. James and X.-G. Chen, PLOS Genetics, 18:e1010280. 2022.
Author summary Nix serves as a conserved male-determining factor in the two most important mosquito arboviral vectors, Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus. AaeNix alone can convert Ae. aegypti females into fertile but flightless males. AalNix has four alternative splice isoforms ... |
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Selective targeting of biting females to control mosquito-borne infectious diseasesB. B. Kojin, A. Compton, Z. N. Adelman and Z. Tu, Trends in Parasitology, 2022.
Mosquitoes are vectors for a number of infectious diseases. Only females feed on blood to provision for their embryos and, in doing so, transmit pathogens to the associated vertebrate hosts. Therefore, sex is an important phenotype in the context of genetic control programs, both ... |
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Current Status of Mosquito Handling, Transporting and Releasing in Frame of the Sterile Insect TechniqueJ. Guo, X. Zheng, D. Zhang and Y. Wu, Insects, 13. 2022.
The sterile insect technique (SIT) and its related technologies are considered to be a powerful weapon for fighting against mosquitoes. As an important part of the area-wide integrated pest management (AW-IPM) programs, SIT can help reduce the use of chemical pesticides for ... |
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Inside the Plan to Release Life-Saving MosquitoesWIRED, WIRED, 2022.
The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District is turning towards a novel tool to combat harmful insecticide-resistant mosquitoes like the Aedes aegypti. What are they doing exactly? They're releasing millions of genetically modified male mosquitoes engineered to reduce the ... |
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Combined Trojan Y Chromosome Strategy and Sterile Insect Technique to Eliminate Mosquitoes: Modelling and AnalysisJ. Lyu, M. Gu, S. Wang and K. Cheng, Mathematical Problems in Engineering, 2022:2373350. 2022.
Sterile insect technique has been successfully applied in the control of agricultural pests; however, it has a limited ability to control mosquitoes. A promising alternative approach is the Trojan Y Chromosome strategy, which works by manipulating the sex ratio of a population ... |
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Optimization of Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) Mass Rearing through Cost-Effective Larval FeedingM. Kavran, A. Puggioli, S. Šiljegović, D. Čanadžić, N. Laćarac, M. Rakita, A. Ignjatović Ćupina, F. Balestrino, D. Petrić and R. Bellini, Insects, 13. 2022.
Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus (Skuse, 1895) is an invasive important medical and veterinary pest species. The sterile insect technique (SIT) involves the mass rearing of males, and their sterilization and release into the habitat to compete with wild males. Our research objective ... |
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Reply to: Assessing the efficiency of Verily’s automated process for production and release of male Wolbachia-infected mosquitoesJ. E. Crawford, K. C. Hopkins, A. Buchman, T. Zha, P. Howell, E. Kakani, J. R. Ohm, N. Snoad, L. Upson, J. Holeman, P. Massaro, S. L. Dobson, F. S. Mulligan and B. J. White, Nature Biotechnology, 2022.
We appreciate the comments from Bouyer et al. under their mandate as a United Nations agency program (‘to promote the safe and appropriate use of nuclear techniques and related technologies in food and agriculture’) on our paper1 . The centuries-old fight against ... |
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Assessing the efficiency of Verily’s automated process for production and release of male Wolbachia-infected mosquitoesJ. Bouyer, H. Maiga and M. J. B. Vreysen, Nature Biotechnology, 2022.
A paper by Crawford et al.1 titled ‘Efficient production of male Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes enables large-scale suppression of wild populations’ reports a mosquito control suppression trial carried out from2017 to 2018 in Fresco Country, California, USA1 . ... |
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Strategies to Mitigate Establishment under the Wolbachia Incompatible Insect TechniqueS. Soh, S. H. Ho, J. Ong, A. Seah, B. S. Dickens, K. W. Tan, J. R. Koo, A. R. Cook, S. Sim, C. H. Tan, L. C. Ng and J. T. Lim, Viruses, 14. 2022.
The Incompatible Insect Technique (IIT) strategy involves the release of male mosquitoes infected with the bacterium Wolbachia. Regular releases of male Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes can lead to the suppression of mosquito populations, thereby reducing the risk of transmission of ... |
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Quality Control and Mating Performance of Irradiated Glossina palpalis gambiensis MalesK. Ilboudo, K. Camara, E. W. Salou and G. Gimonnea, Insects, 13. 2022.
The biological quality of sterile male insects produced in a mass-rearing facility is a prerequisite for the success of the SIT, which is a component of area-wide integrated pest management (AW-IPM). Indeed, sterile male insects released in the field must have a good mating ... |
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Elimination of a closed population of the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, through releases of self-limiting male mosquitoesP. B. Patil, S. K. Dasgupta, K. Gorman, A. Pickl-Herk, M. Puinean, A. McKemey, B. Char, U. B. Zehr and S. R. Barwale, PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 16:e0010315. 2022.
Author summary Aedes aegypti L. species is the primary vector responsible for transmission of the dengue virus worldwide including chikungunya, yellow fever and Zika virus. The experiment presented in the manuscript represents a study undertaken to demonstrate suppression of the ... |
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Setting the world’s deadliest animal to self-destructA. Ossola, QUARTZ, 2022.
The mosquitoes are coming - and the, hopefully, they're going. This wee, British biotech company Oxitec plans to kick off a months-long experiment in which it will release billions of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in California and Florida. But these aren't just any mosquitoes - ... |
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Genetically Modified Mosquitoes May Protect The World From DiseaseJ. R. Learn, DISCOVER, 2022.
Forget lions, hippos or venomous spiders. Aedes aegypti mosquitoes may be among the deadliest wildlife in the world. Their bite is relatively harmless in normal circumstances. But many of these mosquitoes carry diseases they transmit from the blood of one host to another, ... |
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Brit firm sparks fury after ‘releasing genetically modified mosquitoes’ into wildC. Lawrence-Jones, Daily Star, 2022.
A British company has sparked fury after releasing genetically modified mosquitoes into the wild that critics say could produce new strains of super-mozzies. UK-based Oxitec say they've hacked the insects' genetic make up and hope it will ultimately kill off all-female offspring ... |
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Pilot trial using mass field-releases of sterile males produced with the incompatible and sterile insect techniques as part of integrated Aedes aegypti control in MexicoA. Martín-Park, A. Che-Mendoza, Y. Contreras-Perera, S. Pérez-Carrillo, H. Puerta-Guardo, J. Villegas-Chim, G. Guillermo-May, A. Medina-Barreiro, H. Delfín-González, R. Méndez-Vales, S. Vázquez-Narvaez, J. Palacio-Vargas, F. Correa-Morales, G. Ayora-Tal, PLoS Negl Trop Dis, 16:e0010324. 2022.
We implemented a controlled before-and-after quasi-experimental study in two suburban localities of Yucatan (Mexico): San Pedro Chimay (SPC), which received IIT-SIT, and San Antonio Tahdzibichén used as control. Release of wAlbB Ae. aegypti males at SPC extended for 6 months ... |
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First U.S. Open-Air Test of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Deemed a SuccessS. Kuta, Smithosonian Magazine, 2022.
A private company that released genetically modified mosquitoes into the open air of the Florida Keys last spring says the experiment was a success, reports Emily Waltz for Nature. Oxitec, a United Kingdom-based biotech firm initially founded at Oxford University, released the ... |
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Genetically modified mosquitoes for controlling vector-borne diseases? Successful trial gives hopeT. Deol, Down To Earth, 2022.
Preliminary results of an open-air study of genetically engineered mosquitoes — with an aim to suppress a wild population of virus-carrying mosquitoes — in the United States have shown promising results. The aim of the experiment by Oxitec, a United Kingdom-based ... |
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Release of genetically modified mosquitoes created to fight disease a success: Biotech firmC. Greenberg, National Post, 2022.
The release of genetically modified mosquitoes in the United States created to fight disease has gone according to plan, biotechnology firm Oxitec says.The first phase of the pilot study consisted of releasing almost 5 million modified Aedes aegypti male mosquitoes in the Florida ... |
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Tests of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Prove PositiveR. Ellis, WebMD, 2022.
The first open-air study of genetically modified mosquitoes in the United States has yielded positive results, says Oxitec, the UK-based company that ran the study. However, Oxitec says larger tests are needed to determine whether the insects can suppress the disease-spreading ... |
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Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Work as IntendedM. L. Ford, NEWSER, 2022.
Results are in from a pilot study in Florida, where millions of genetically engineered mosquitoes were released into the wild. Some referred to it as the “Jurassic Park” experiment when it was announced last year, but—so far—everything is going to plan, according to UK ... |
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The sterile insect technique is protected from evolution of mate discriminationJ. J. Bull and R. Gomulkiewicz, PeerJ, 10:e13301. 2022.
Background The sterile insect technique (SIT) has been used to suppress and even extinguish pest insect populations. The method involves releasing artificially reared insects (usually males) that, when mating with wild individuals, sterilize the broods. If administered on a large ... |
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Potential Adverse Effects of GE Mosquitoes UnknownB. Giuffre, The Epoch Times, 2022.
“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 ... |
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The plan to release genetically engineered mosquitoes in CaliforniaM. Petersen, Phys Org, 2022.
In the mosquito breeding rooms of British biotech company Oxitec, scientists line up fresh eggs, each the size of a grain of salt. Using microscopic needles, the white-coated researchers inject each egg with a dab of a proprietary synthetic DNA. For four days, Oxitec technicians ... |
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Genetically-Modified Mosquitos Could Soon Be Released in CaliforniaA. Madrigal, KQED, 2022.
Millions of genetically-modified, non-biting mosquitoes may soon be set loose in California after federal regulators gave the green light to a study aimed at preventing transmission of diseases like Zika and dengue. British biotech firm Oxitech says its technology alters male ... |
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Genetically Modified Mosquitoes May Be Released in California, Experts Express ConcernZ. Papadakis, NEWSMAX, 2022.
Millions of genetically engineered mosquitos could soon be set loose in California in an effort to curb the disease-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquito population — but some experts are concerned that it could backfire. On March 7, Oxitec, a private company, obtained a permit from ... |
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Will genetic modification of mosquitoes take a bite out of insects’ population?N. Patel, KCRW, 2022.
An invasive species of aggressive “ankle biters” called the Aedes aegypti mosquito is now in LA, and it’s spreading quickly. These tiny vampires can lay eggs in a space as small as a water-filled bottle cap, and they carry diseases like yellow fever and dengue. A British ... |
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An army of genetically engineered mosquitoes is about to be releasedM. Menard, KNX NEWS, 2022.
A British biotech company has been altering the DNA of mosquitoes with the goal of killing off a more dangerous breed capable of spreading deadly diseases. And now they’re preparing to release their “friendly mosquitoes” into the wild. In California. Aedes aegypti is an ... |
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California’s first genetically modified mosquitoes may soon be releasedA. M. Asperin, FOX11 Los Angeles, 2022.
How would you feel about a few genetically engineered mosquitoes flying into your neighborhood? It's a possibility after the US Environmental Protection Agency on Friday approved pilot projects of Oxitec's mosquitoes in specific districts in California and Florida. The next ... |
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In California, an army of genetically engineered mosquitoes awaits release. Will it backfire?M. Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 2022.
In the mosquito breeding rooms of British biotech company Oxitec, scientists line up fresh eggs, each the size of a grain of salt. Using microscopic needles, the white-coated researchers inject each egg with a dab of a proprietary synthetic DNA. For four days, Oxitec technicians ... |
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Federal Government Approves Release of Millions of Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes in CaliforniaA. Jose, The Western Journal, 2022.
Genetically modified Aedes aegypti mosquitoes could soon buzz around in California and Florida after the federal government greenlighted a plan to release the insects in the states. The project is spearheaded by biotechnology firm Oxitec, which, among other things, specializes in ... |
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Billions of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Are Set to Descend on California and Florida This SummerJ. Rossen, MENTAL FLOSS, 2022.
Californians may not know it on sight, but there’s going to be something different about their mosquitoes this summer. An invasive species of the bite-prone insects has been genetically modified in an attempt at controlling disease spread. According to Smithsonian, the ... |
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Genetically modified mosquitoes, a potential antidote to deadly diseasesTRTWorld, TRTWorld, 2022.
The US approved the release of billions of genetically modified mosquitoes to reduce the transmission of diseases but critics point to possible unintended consequences. Can genetically modified animals combat the spread of deadly diseases? The United States Environmental ... |
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Comparison of Ground Release and Drone-Mediated Aerial Release of Aedes aegypti Sterile Males in Southern Mexico: Efficacy and ChallengesC. F. Marina, P. Liedo, J. G. Bond, A. R. Osorio, J. Valle, R. Angulo-Kladt, Y. Gómez-Simuta, I. Fernández-Salas, A. Dor and T. Williams, Insects, 13. 2022.
Sterile males of Aedes aegypti were released once a week for 8 weeks to evaluate the dispersal efficiency of ground and aerial drone release methods in a rural village of 26 Ha in southern Mexico. Indoor and outdoor BG-Sentinel traps were placed in 13–16 houses distributed ... |
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Genetic Stability and Fitness of Aedes aegypti Red-Eye Genetic Sexing Strains With Pakistani Genomic Background for Sterile Insect Technique ApplicationsM. Misbah-ul-Haq, D. O. Carvalho, L. D. de la Fuente, A. A. Augustinos and K. Bourtzis, Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 10. 2022.
The mosquito species Aedes aegypti is the primary transmitter of viruses that cause endemic diseases like dengue in Pakistan. It is also a cause of other vector-borne diseases like yellow fever, Zika fever, and chikungunya, which significantly impact human health worldwide. In ... |
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Why a U.S. Company Plans to Release 2.4 Billion Genetically Modified MosquitoesM. Osborne, Smithosonian Magazine, 2022.
The Environmental Protection Agency has cleared the release of 2.4 billion genetically-modified mosquitoes in California and Florida. The mosquitoes, created by biotech firm Oxitec, will be non-biting Aedes aegypti males engineered to only produce viable male offspring, per the ... |
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US poised to release 2.4bn genetically modified male mosquitoes to battle deadly diseasesG. Canon, The Guardian, 2022.
Genetically modified male mosquitoes may soon be buzzing across areas of California, in an experiment to stop the spread of invasive species in a warming climate. Earlier this month, the EPA cleared the UK-based biotech company Oxitec to release a maximum of roughly 2.4bn of its ... |
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Millions of genetically engineered mosquitoes are here to protect usM. Kaufman, MASHABLE, 2022.
Aedes aegypti almost certainly traveled to California in cargo, like many invasive species do. The species, which flourishes in warmer climes, has colonized places like Los Angeles County, and is expected to multiply and spread in these temperate regions as the climate ... |
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Field Suppression of Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) (Drosophila suzukii Matsumura) Using the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT)R. A. Homem, Z. Mateos-Fierro, R. Jones, D. Gilbert, A. R. McKemey, G. Slade and M. T. Fountain, Insects, 13. 2022.
Drosophila suzukii (spotted wing drosophila—SWD) is an economically important pest of soft and stone fruit worldwide. Control relies on broad-spectrum insecticides, which are neither fully effective nor environmentally sustainable. The sterile insect technique (SIT) is a ... |
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A scourge of genetically modified mosquitoes could be unleashed in CaliforniaJ. Bote, SFGATE, 2022.
A genetically modified scourge of mosquitoes could be unleashed throughout California as municipalities across the state grapple with increasing bouts of an invasive mosquito species. The mosquitoes, developed by the British biotech firm Oxitec, are known as OX5034 — a modified ... |
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An agent-based model to simulate the boosted Sterile Insect Technique for fruit fly managementE. G. Diouf, T. Brévault, S. Ndiaye, E. Faye, A. Chailleux, P. Diatta and C. Piou, Ecological Modelling, 468:109951. 2022.
The sterile insect technique (SIT) is a method of biological control of pests and disease vector insects. It includes mass-rearing and release of sterile males of the target species so that wild females mated with sterile males would not produce offspring. An innovative version ... |
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Could species-focused suppression of Aedes aegypti, the yellow fever mosquito, and Aedes albopictus, the tiger mosquito, affect interacting predators? An evidence synthesis from the literatureJ. A. S. Bonds, C. M. Collins and L.-C. Gouagna, Pest Management Science, 2022.
The risks of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus nuisance and vector-borne diseases are rising and the adverse effects of broad-spectrum insecticide application has promoted species-specific techniques, such as sterile insect technique (SIT) and other genetic strategies, as ... |
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Billions of GE Mosquitoes May Soon Be Released in California and FloridaA. N. Mitra, Earth Island Journal, 2022.
he US Environmental Protection Agency’s decision last week to allow the release of billions of genetically engineered mosquitoes in California and Florida has several environmental and public health groups worried about the potential impacts of the experimental releases on ... |
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California’s first lab-grown mosquitoes may take flight—stirring controversyL. M. Krieger, Phys Org, 2022.
A biotech firm is seeking permission to release genetically modified mosquitoes into the open air of California for the first time later this year, aiming to reduce the expanding populations of invasive mosquitoes and prevent deadly disease. The controversial research ... |
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Fall armyworms with offspring-killing gene tested on farms in BrazilM. Le Page, New Scientist, 2022.
Fall armyworms genetically modified to wipe out wild populations of the pests have been released in corn fields in São Paulo State in Brazil in the first farm trial of the new technology. The test was a success and is now being expanded, says Oxitec, the UK-based company that ... |
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Genetically modified mosquitoes kill their own offspringC. Ward, SYFY, 2022.
Oxitec, a biotech company, has developed a strain of A. aegypti which they call Friendly. Their modified mosquitos are all males and carry a gene which prevents the birth of females in subsequent generations. In short, they’re reducing disease-carrying mosquitos by killing ... |
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Combining two Genetic Sexing Strains allows sorting of non-transgenic males for Aedes genetic controlC. Lutrat, M. Burckbuchler, R. P. Olmo, R. Beugnon, A. Fontaine, T. Baldet, J. Bouyer and E. Marois, bioRxiv, 2022.03.11.483912. 2022.
Chemical control of the mosquito vectors Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti is costly, unsustainable, and increasingly ineffective due to the spread of insecticide resistance. The Sterile Insect Technique is an autocidal control tactic that represents a valuable alternative but ... |
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Millions Of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes To Be Set Loose In USH. Wilmerding, Daily Caller, 2022.
Millions of genetically modified mosquitoes will be released in the United States as part of an initiative to replace the insects carrying deadly diseases, the company behind the plan announced Tuesday. The program, led by biotechnology company Oxitec, will release roughly 2 ... |
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Florida Begins Release of Genetically Altered Mosquitoes to Prevent Spread of ZikaEntrepreneur staff, Entrepreneur, 2022.
Since 2016, Zika , a disease transmitted by a virus that spreads an invasive species of mosquito, has plagued various regions of the world, including areas of Florida and Texas in the United States. In May 2020, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved a program to ... |
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2 Billion Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Have Been Approved For Release In Florida And CaliforniaJ. U. Nisa, Wonder Engineering, 2022.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has sanctioned the release of 2 billion genetically modified mosquitos in Florida and California, Oxitec, the company that created the genetically modified mosquitoes, said. Oxitec’s experimental program intends to reduce the spread ... |
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Billions of genetically modified male mosquitos will be released in California and Florida as a ‘natural pest control’ to stop the spread of diseases like Zika, yellow fever and DengueR. Morrison, Daily Mail, 2022.
Billions of genetically engineered male mosquitos will be released in California and Florida over the next two years, as part of a mission to kill off biting females. Oxitec, based in Oxford UK, is a biological pest control development firm, that has produced the edited version ... |
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2 billion genetically modified mosquitos are about to be released in the USJ. Hawkins, yahoo, 2022.
Scientists have been playing god with mosquitos for a couple of years now. Back in 2021, British company Oxitec released 750 million lab-modified mosquitos in Florida. Now, the company is gearing up to release another 2 billion genetically modified mosquitos across more of ... |
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2 Billion Genetically Altered Mosquitoes Will Be Released in Fla. and Calif. to Fight DiseaseA. Adams, People, 2022.
Billions of genetically modified mosquitoes are expected to be released within the next two years as part of an expanded version of an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) study — but the project is receiving criticism from advocacy groups that believe it could be ... |
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Genetically modified mosquitoes could be tested in California soonS. Milius, Science News, 2022.
Genetically modified mosquitoes might soon be whining on both U.S. coasts. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved two more years of testing Oxitec’s genetically modified mosquitoes as living pest controls, continuing a pilot program started in 2021 in the Florida ... |
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Why millions of genetically modified mosquitoes could be released across USJ. Rogers, New York Post, 2022.
The US could soon be swarming with genetically altered mosquitoes after the Environmental Protection Agency approved a plan to test the insects. It is hoped the new altered mosquitoes will ward off their natural, disease-causing counterparts. Biotechnology company Oxitec has ... |
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Genetically Modified Mosquitoes May Be Released in Fla and CalifR. Ellis, WebMD, 2022.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved the release of 2 billion genetically altered mosquitoes in Florida and California, the company that created the genetically modified mosquitoes said. The experimental program created by Oxitec is designed to reduce the ... |
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2 Billion Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Cleared for Release in California and FloridaE. Cara, gizmodo, 2022.
British biotech firm Oxitec announced this week that it has received approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for its genetically modified mosquitoes to be released in parts of Florida and in California, following the completion of a pilot program last year. The ... |
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Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Set to Be Released in California and FloridaK. Roberts, The Epoch Times, 2022.
Millions of genetically modified mosquitoes are set to be released in California and Florida in an effort to reduce the number of real, disease-carrying invasive mosquitoes. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday approved use of the genetically engineered insects in ... |
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No Sting in the Tail for Sterile Bisex Queensland Fruit Fly (Bactrocera tryoni Froggatt) Release ProgramsO. L. Reynolds, D. Collins, B. C. Dominiak and T. Osborne, Insects, 2022.
Global markets do not tolerate the presence of fruit fly (Tephritidae) in horticultural produce. A key method of control for tephritidae pests, is the sterile insect technique (SIT). Several countries release a bisex strain, i.e., males and females, however the sterile male is ... |
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Proposed moquito release for Tulare County draws concernE. Smith, The Business Journal, 2022.
News of the approval to release genetically-modified mosquitoes in Tulare County and Monroe County, Florida has drawn the ire of activists who say the company behind the project has not provided data demonstrating the insects are safe. At the same time, the company says it has ... |
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Millions of genetically modified mosquitoes may soon be buzzing in Florida and California. Here’s why.R. W. Miller, USA Today, 2022.
Millions of genetically altered mosquitoes that seek to ward off their natural, disease-causing counterparts may soon be released in Florida and California after the Environmental Protection Agency approved a plan to further test the modified insects. Developed by the ... |
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‘Halt this nightmare immediately’: EPA approves release of genetically-engineered mosquitoesJ. Corbett, AlterNet, 2022.
Environmental and public health advocates responded with alarm after the Biden administration on Monday gave a British biotechnology company a green light to unleash billions of genetically engineered mosquitoes in the United States. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ... |
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Genetically Engineered Mosquito Imminent Mass Release Ignores Science, Public Health and Environmental RisksH. Bourque, Friends of the Earth, 2022.
In defiance of science and public health concerns, today the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved the mass release of billions of experimental genetically engineered (GE) mosquitoes into the United States’ most populous and agriculturally significant states. The ... |
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Increased biting rate and decreased Wolbachia density in irradiated Aedes mosquitoesR. Moretti, E. Lampazzi, C. Damiani, G. Fabbri, G. Lombardi, C. Pioli, A. Desiderio, A. Serrao and M. Calvitti, Parasites and Vectors, 15:67. 2022.
Releasing considerable numbers of radiation-sterilized males is a promising strategy to suppress mosquito vectors. However, releases may also include small percentages of biting females, which translate to non-negligible numbers when releases are large. Currently, the effects of ... |
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Adult mosquito predation and potential impact on the sterile insect techniqueN. S. Bimbilé Somda, H. Maïga, W. Mamai, T. Bakhoum, T. Wallner, S. B. Poda, H. Yamada and J. Bouyer, Scientific Reports, 12:2561. 2022.
The sterile insect technique is a promising environmentally friendly method for mosquito control. This technique involves releasing laboratory-produced sterile males into a target field site, and its effectiveness may be affected by the extent of adult mosquito predation. Sterile ... |
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Quality Control Methods for Aedes albopictus Sterile Male TransportationG. D. Mastronikolos, A. Kapranas, G. K. Balatsos, C. Ioannou, D. P. Papachristos, P. G. Milonas, A. Puggioli, I. Pajović, D. Petrić, R. Bellini, A. Michaelakis and N. T. Papadopoulos, Insects, 2022.
Genetic based mosquito control methods have been gaining ground in recent years for their potential to achieve effective suppression or replacement of vector populations without hampering environments or causing any public health risk. These methods require the mass rearing of ... |
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piggyBac-based transgenic RNAi of serine protease 2 results in male sterility in Hyphantria cuneaX. Li, Q. Liu, H. Bi, Y. Wang, X. Xu, W. Sun, Z. Zhang and Y. Huang, Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 103726. 2022.
Fall webworm, Hyphantria cunea, is a global invasive forest pest that causes serious damage to the economy and ecosystem of agriculture and forestry. Due to the extent of the problem and the difficulty of conventional chemical control, new technologies must be pursued, such as ... |
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Genetically engineered insects with sex-selection and genetic incompatibility enable population suppressionA. Upadhyay, N. R. Feltman, A. Sychla, A. Janzen, S. R. Das, M. Maselko and M. Smanski, eLife, 11. 2022.
Engineered Genetic Incompatibility (EGI) is a method to create species-like barriers to sexual reproduction. It has applications in pest control that mimic Sterile Insect Technique when only EGI males are released. This can be facilitated by introducing conditional ... |
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Could Sterile Aedes albopictus Male Releases Interfere with Aedes aegypti Population in Reunion Island?H. F. Andrianjakarivony, D. Damiens, L. Marquereau, B. Gaudillat, N. Habchi-Hanriot and L.-C. Gouagna, Insects, 13. 2022.
In Reunion Island, the feasibility of an Aedes albopictus control program using the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) is studied. Because, in some regions, Ae. albopictus is living in sympatry with Aedes aegypti, the impact of releasing millions of sterile male Ae. albopictus on ... |
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Self-limiting fall armyworm: a new approach in development for sustainable crop protection and resistance managementC. E. Reavey, A. S. Walker, S. P. Joyce, L. Broom, A. Willse, K. Ercit, M. Poletto, Z. H. Barnes, T. Marubbi, B. J. Troczka, D. Treanor, K. Beadle, B. Granville, V. de Mello, J. Teal, E. Sulston, A. Ashton, L. Akilan, N. Naish, O. Stevens, N. Humphreys-Jo, BMC Biotechnology, 22:5. 2022.
Here, we describe the first germline transformation of the fall armyworm and the development of a genetically engineered male-selecting self-limiting strain, OX5382G, which exhibits complete female mortality in the absence of an additive in the larval diet. Laboratory experiments ... |
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Nuclear technique cuts mosquito numbers in Cuban trialM. A. Madsen, IAEA, 2022.
A pilot trial of a SIT campaign was conducted between April and August 2020 in an area of 50 hectares in El Cano, an isolated neighbourhood of southwest Havana. Arroyo Arenas, another neighbourhood of similar size, was used as an untreated control site. In the pilot trial, almost ... |
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Effects of Sterile Males and Fertility of Infected Mosquitoes on Mosquito-Borne Disease DynamicsX. L. Sun, S. Q. Liu, Y. F. Lv and Y. Z. Pei, Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, 84:33. 2022.
By studying an infection-age structured model, we consider the effects of releasing sterile males and the fertility of infected mosquitoes on the mosquito-borne diseases transmission including the extinction of mosquitoes, the elimination and persistence of diseases. Firstly, ... |
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The prince, the mayor, and the U.S. fish that ate JapanC. Elliot, National Geographic, 2022.
When Crown Prince Akihito visited Chicago on October 3, 1960, his sole request was to visit Shedd Aquarium. Then Mayor Richard J. Daley, an avid angler, presented the prince with a gift that he scooped with a net from one of the tanks himself: 18 bluegills, the official Illinois ... |
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Introgression of the Aedes aegypti red-eye genetic sexing strains into different genomic backgrounds for sterile insect technique applicationsA. A. Augustinos , K. Nikolouli , L. D. De La Fuente , M. Misbah-Ul-Haq, D. O. Carvalho and K. Bourtzis, Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 2022.
Aedes aegypti is an invasive mosquito species and major vector of human arboviruses. A wide variety of control methods have been employed to combat mosquito populations. One of them is the sterile insect technique (SIT) that has recently attracted considerable research efforts ... |
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Integrated control of Aedes albopictus in Southwest Germany supported by the Sterile Insect TechniqueN. Becker, S. M. Langentepe-Kong, A. T. Rodriguez, T. T. Oo, D. Reichle, R. Luhken, J. Schmidt-Chanasit, P. Luthy, A. Puggioli and R. Bellini, Parasites and Vectors, 15:19. 2022.
Background: The invasive species Aedes albopictus, commonly known as the Asian tiger mosquito, has undergone extreme range expansion by means of steady introductions as blind passengers in vehicles traveling from the Mediterranean to south-west Germany. The more than 25 ... |
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Temporal Viability of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus Eggs Using Two Hygroscopic Substances as Preservatives under a Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) Program in Southern MexicoE. N. Martínez-García, E. E. Díaz-González, C. F. Marina, J. G. Bond, J. J. Rodríguez-Rojas, G. Ponce-García, R. M. Sánchez-Casas and I. Fernández-Salas, Insects, 13. 2021.
Dengue and other Aedes-borne diseases have dramatically increased over the last decades. The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) has been successfully used as part of integrated pest strategies to control populations of insect-plant and livestock pests and is currently being tested as ... |
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Three Decades of Malaria Vector Control in Sudan: The Plausible Role of Sterile Insect Technique (SIT)A. Elaagip and A. Adedapo, Genetically Modified and other Innovative Vector Control Technologies, 2021.
In Northern State, Sudan, a feasibility study for sterile insect technique (SIT) in an area-wide integrated pest management was established for the first time in an African country. The aim of the study was to see whether it is feasible, from a technical, an economical and a ... |
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Perspectives into Genetic Manipulations for Control of Dengue Vector (Aedes aegypti Linnaeus, 1762) with Reference to Progress in Indian ExperimentsR. Chatterjee, S. Bhattacharya and B. K. Tyagi, Genetically Modified and other Innovative Vector Control Technologies, 2021.
Vector-borne diseases like malaria, dengue, chikungunya, Japanese encephalitis, Zika and others claim millions of lives across the globe annually, and as such their control has become an ardent necessity. Past attempts over the decades have introduced vector control through ... |
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Aedes Control Using Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) in MalaysiaW. A. Nazni, G.-N. Teoh, S. I. Shaikh Norman Hakimi, M. A. Muhammad Arif, M. Tanusshni, M. A. Nuradila, A. Nurfarahin Hanini, I. A. Shazia, A.-M. Tan, H. Rabizah, M. D. Ahmad Zainuri, A. Hasnor Hadi, Y.-L. Cheong, A. Norazah, H. Maiga, R. S. Lees and L. H, Genetically Modified and other Innovative Vector Control Technologies, 2021.
The continued occurrence of massive outbreaks of Aedes-borne viral diseases of dengue, chikungunya, Zika and yellow fever, in spite of intensive and extensive application of conventional control measures, necessitates application of new tools, such as sterile insect technique ... |
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Genetic Improvements to the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) for the Control of Mosquito PopulationP. V. D. Dilani, Y. I. N. S. Gunawardene and R. S. Dassanayake, Genetically Modified and other Innovative Vector Control Technologies, 2021.
Mosquito-borne diseases are becoming a major health problem worldwide. At present, the principal method of controlling these diseases entirely depends on the mosquito vector control strategies. However, traditional control methods which are focussed on reducing mosquito ... |
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Field Trials of Gene Drive Mosquitoes: Lessons from Releases of Genetically Sterile Males and Wolbachia-infected MosquitoesJ. M. Marshall and V. N. Vásquez, Genetically Modified and other Innovative Vector Control Technologies, 2021.
The discovery of CRISPR-based gene editing and its application to homing-based gene drive has been greeted with excitement, for its potential to control mosquito-borne diseases on a wide scale, and concern, for the invasiveness and potential irreversibility of a release. At the ... |
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Arthropods of Medical Importance: Need for Genetic and Other Innovative Vector Control Technologies, with Emphasis on Eco-biosocial and Environmental Considerations.B. K. Tyagi, Genetically Modified and other Innovative Vector Control Technologies, 2021.
Among the world’s known vector groups, viz. arthropods, snails and rodents, the most important vectors originate from arthropods, the jointed legs. Arthropods are doubtlessly regarded as the most dominant creatures on the Earth due largely to their remarkable structural and ... |
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Genetically Modified and other Innovative Vector Control TechnologiesB. K. Tyagi, SpringerLink, 2021.
This book comprehensively covers the latest development in developing and deploying the genetically modified vectors, particularly Anopheles and Aedes mosquitoes responsible for transmitting malaria parasites and dengue viruses, the most deadly and/or debilitating among all the ... |
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Genetic Control in Historical Perspective: The Legacy of India’s Genetic Control of Mosquitoes UnitR. Wilbanks, Hastings Center Report, 51:S11-S18. 2021.
Abstract In the early 1970s, a World Health Organization-initiated and United States-funded project released lab-reared mosquitoes outside New Delhi in the first large-scale field trials of the genetic control of mosquitoes. Despite partnering with the Indian Council of Medical ... |
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How Israelis help the world fight mosquito-borne diseasesA. K. Leichman, ISRAEL21c, 2021.
Israeli scientists and entrepreneurs understand the problems and risks and have been developing a series of ingenious remedies to this growing problem. Prof. Philippos Aris Papathanos, head of Hebrew University’s Insect Genetics Lab, was awarded a Bill & Melinda Gates ... |
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No, genetically engineered mosquitoes aren’t about to be released in BerkeleyK. D. Rauch, Berkeleyside, 2021.
Judith Pierce, public outreach coordinator for the Alameda County Mosquito Abatement District, would like to make one thing clear: A release of genetically engineered mosquitoes is not coming to Berkeley — or anywhere in Alameda County — in the near future. Not to her ... |
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The economic value of genetically engineered mosquitoes as a Malaria control strategy depends on local transmission ratesK. Lacy, K. A. Schaefer, D. P. Scheitrum and E. Y. Klein, Biotechnology Journal, 10. 2021.
This paper assesses the economic value of genetically engineered (GE) Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes as a malaria control strategy. We use an epidemiological-economic model of malaria transmission to evaluate this technology for a range of village-level transmission settings. In ... |
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New molecular genetic techniques: regulatory and societal considerationsNielsen, K. M., AREA-WIDE INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT: Development and Field Application, 2021.
A rapidly expanding toolbox of techniques available for genome editing provides the basis for a new continuum in types of modifications that can be introduced into a genome and blur the bimodal GMO vs. non-GMO (genetically modified organism) divide. Site-directed nucleases (SDN) ... |
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Area-wide management of fruit flies in a tropical mango growing area integrating the sterile insect technique and biological control: From a research to an operational programmeLiedo, P., Montoya, P. , and Toledo, J., AREA-WIDE INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT: Development and Field Application, 2021.
The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) has been successfully used for the control of fruit flies in a number of places in the world. One requirement for its successful application is that wild populations should be at low densities to achieve effective sterile to wild fly ... |
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AREA-WIDE INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT: Development and Field ApplicationHendrichs, J. Pereira, R., Vreysen, M. J. B., AREA-WIDE INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT: Development and Field Application, 2021.
The concept of area-wide integrated pest management (AW-IPM), in which the total population of a pest in an area is targeted, is central to the effective control of such populations through the integration of genetic, biological and other pest suppression technologies. Insect ... |
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Combined sterile insect technique and incompatible insect technique: concept, study design, experience and lessons learned from a pilot suppression trial in ThailandKittayapong, P., AREA-WIDE INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT: Development and Field Application, 2021.
Climate change, rapid global transport and land use change leading to urbanization and agricultural intensification have facilitated disease emergence in vulnerable regions like Southeast Asia, and also the global expansion of vectors and vector-borne diseases into other regions ... |
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Barriers and facilitators of area-wide management including sterile insect technique application: The example of Queensland fruit flyMankad, A., Loechel, B., and Measham, P. F., AREA-WIDE INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT: Development and Field Application, 2021.
The area-wide management (AWM) of highly mobile insect pests such as tephritid fruit flies requires an integrated understanding of technical, social and institutional processes that drive a coordinated approach within a defined area. Furthermore, the success of an AWM programme ... |
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Putting the sterile insect technique into the modern integrated pest management toolbox to control the codling moth in CanadaNelson, C., Esch, E., Kimmie, S., Tesche, M., and Philip, H. Arthur, S., AREA-WIDE INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT: Development and Field Application, 2021.
The Okanagan-Kootenay Sterile Insect Release (OKSIR) programme, in southern British Columbia, Canada, has been successfully applying the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) as part of a sustainable areawide integrated pest management (AW-IPM) programme to control the codling moth ... |
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Ecology, behaviour and area-wide control of the floodwater mosquito Aedes sticticus, with potential of future integration of the sterile insect techniqueLundstrom, J. O. Schafer, M. L. Kittayapong, P., AREA-WIDE INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT: Development and Field Application, 2021.
The strategy of aerial control of the floodwater mosquito Aedes sticticus (Meigen) in the floodplains of River Dalalven, central Sweden, was developed to directly address specific larval breeding areas in temporary flooded wet meadows and swamps. Using the Bti-based larvicide ... |
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Area-wide management of mediterranean fruit fly with the sterile insect technique in South Africa: New production and management techniques pay dividendsVenter, J. H., Baard, C. W. L., and Barnes, B. N., AREA-WIDE INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT: Development and Field Application, 2021.
A mass-rearing facility to produce sterile male Mediterranean fruit flies, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), for a Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) programme in the Hex River Valley in the Western Cape Province started in the late 1990s. The programme was initially underfunded and ... |
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Major phase of Florida Keys GMO mosquito release complete, company saysD. Goodhue, Miami Herald, 2021.
A British biotechnology company and the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District on Tuesday announced they have “successfully concluded” a major phase in a controversial trial project aimed at wiping out an invasive species of mosquito known to spread dangerous diseases like ... |
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Evaluation of Transgenic Aedes aegypti L. Strain in India: A Friendly MosquitoP. B. Patil, K. K. Yadav, S. K. Dasgupta, U. B. Zehr, S. R. Barwale and B. Char, Genetically Modified and other Innovative Vector Control Technologies, 2021.
Aedes aegypti L. is a primary vector of dengue and is also responsible for transmission of other arboviral diseases including chikungunya, yellow fever, and Zika virus worldwide. India is attributed with as much as 34% of the global burden of dengue infection as per the recent ... |
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Historical perspective and new avenues to control the myiasis-causing fly Cochliomyia hominivorax in Uruguay.Fresia P, Pimentel S, Iriarte V, Marques L, Durán V, Saravia A, Novas R, Basika T, Ferenczi A, Castells D, Saporiti T, Cuore U, Losiewicz S, Fernández F, Ciappesoni G, Dalla-Rizza M and M. A., Agrociencia Uruguay, 25:e974. 2021.
Mosca de la bichera’ or simply ‘bichera’ are common names given in Uruguay and the region to the primary myiasis-causing species Cochliomyia hominivorax, the New World Screwworm (NWS) fly (Diptera: Calliphoridae). Myiasis happens when dipteran larvae infest live animals at ... |
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The drone, the tool of the future to combat its spreadT. Thompson, Your Decommissioning News, 2021.
Drones could become a promising tool in the fight against the tiger mosquito, according to a study published Tuesday by French researchers. French researchers said on Tuesday that drones could, within a few years, integrate into the arsenal of the fight against the tiger ... |
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Malaria modeling and optimal control using sterile insect technique and insecticide-treated netL. Cai, L. Bao, L. Rose, J. Summers and W. Ding, Applicable Analysis, 2021.
We investigate a malaria transmission model with SEIR (susceptible-exposed-infected-recovered) classes for the human population, SEI (susceptible-exposed-infected) classes for the wild mosquitoes and an additional class for the sterile mosquitoes. The basic reproduction number ... |
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Oxitec Announces Ground-breaking Commercial Launch of Its Friendly™ Aedes aegypti Solution in BrazilOxitec, COSION, 2021.
Oxitec, the leading developer of biological solutions to control pests, announced today the landmark commercial launch of its Friendly™ Aedes aegypti solution designed specifically for use by homeowners, businesses, and communities to control the dengue-spreading Aedes aegypti ... |
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Temperature-Inducible Precision-Guided Sterile Insect TechniqueN. P. Kandul, J. R. Liu and O. S. Akbari, CRISPR Journal, 14. 2021.
Releases of sterile males are the gold standard for many insect population control programs, and precise sex sorting to remove females prior to male releases is essential to the success of these operations. To advance traditional methods for scaling the generation of sterile ... |
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Investigation of Developmental Stage/Age, Gamma Irradiation Dose, and Temperature in Sterilization of Male Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) in a Sterile Insect Technique ProgramB. Ernawan, T. Anggraeni, S. Yusmalinar and I. Ahmad, Journal of Medical Entomology, 59:320-327. 2021.
The sterilization process using gamma irradiation is a crucial component in a program using sterile insect technique (SIT) to control Aedes aegypti. Unfortunately, there is no efficient standard protocol for sterilizing mosquitoes that can produce a high level of ... |
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Life Table of Bactrocera zonata (Saunders) (Diptera: Tephritidae) for Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) in MauritiusR. D. Bhoyroo, S. Facknath and P. Sookar, African Entomology, 29:361-369. 2021.
Fruit flies (Tephritidae) have been reported to be a serious pest worldwide. In Mauritius, the major fruit fly species of economic and quarantine importance in agricultural production are Bactrocera zonata (Saunders), Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett) and Bactrocera dorsalis ... |
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Predicting the spread and persistence of genetically modified dominant sterile male mosquitoesA. Ickowicz, S. D. Foster, G. R. Hosack and K. R. Hayes, Parasites and Vectors, 14:480. 2021.
Reproductive containment provides an opportunity to implement a staged-release strategy for genetic control of malaria vectors, in particular allowing predictions about the spread and persistence of (self-limiting) sterile and male-biased strains to be compared to outcomes before ... |
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Mosquitoes Sterilized by CRISPR Powered Precision SystemA. A. Sarkar, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, 2021.
Each year millions around the world are infected by dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses. The principal culprit behind the transmission of these deadly diseases is the mosquito vector, Aedes aegypti. Conventional methods of pest control have so far fallen short. To curb the ... |
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New precision-guided sterile insect technique designed to control disease-spreading mosquitoesE. Henderson, News Medical Life Sciences, 2021.
Leveraging advancements in CRISPR-based genetic engineering, researchers at the University of California San Diego have created a new system that restrains populations of mosquitoes that infect millions each year with debilitating diseases. The new precision-guided sterile ... |
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Genetic engineering tech promises to sterilize disease-spreading mosquitoesB. Hays, UPI, 2021.
Inspired by improvements in CRISPR-based genetic engineering, scientists have developed a more precise insect sterilization system to curtail, or even eliminate, disease-spreading Aedes aegypti mosquito populations. The so-called "precision-guided sterile insect technique," or ... |
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Genetic Engineering Technology Promises To Sterilize Disease-Spreading Mosquito PopulationsD. Gyllhem, VIGOURTIMES, 2021.
Inspired by improvements in CRISPR-based genetic engineering, scientists have developed a more precise insect sterilization system to curtail, or even eliminate, disease-spreading Aedes aegypti mosquito populations. The so-called “precision-guided sterile insect technique,” ... |
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New Technology Designed to Genetically Control Disease-spreading MosquitoesM. Aguilera, UC San Diego News Center, 2021.
Leveraging advancements in CRISPR-based genetic engineering, researchers at the University of California San Diego have created a new system that restrains populations of mosquitoes that infect millions each year with debilitating diseases. An illustration by study coauthor ... |
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Suppressing mosquito populations with precision guided sterile malesM. Li, T. Yang, M. Bui, S. Gamez, T. Wise, N. P. Kandul, J. Liu, L. Alcantara, H. Lee, J. R. Edula, R. Raban, Y. Zhan, Y. Wang, N. DeBeaubien, J. Chen, H. M. Sánchez C, J. B. Bennett, I. Antoshechkin, C. Montell, J. M. Marshall and O. S. Akbari, Nature Communications, 12:5374. 2021.
The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the principal vector for arboviruses including dengue/yellow fever, chikungunya, and Zika virus, infecting hundreds of millions of people annually. Unfortunately, traditional control methodologies are insufficient, so innovative control methods are ... |
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Genetically Modified Mosquitoes — What’s The Real Story?SPW Staff, Southeast Product Weekly, 2021.
You’ve heard about the genetically modified mutant mosquitoes being released in the Florida Keys — but what exactly is going on, and how, and why? Basically, researchers in parts of the Florida Keys are releasing male mosquitoes that have been genetically modified to produce ... |
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UF/IFAS Researchers Explain Science Behind Genetically Modified MosquitoesPCT Staff, Pest Control Technology, 2021.
South Florida residents seeking science-based information about genetically modified mosquitoes can access a new, online resource from University of Florida scientists at the UF/IFAS Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory.“ Genetically Modified Mosquitoes” is the latest ... |
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New Way to Reduce Diseases Spreading Through MosquitosDr Jayashree, Medindia, 2021.
Using a gene editing tool known as CRISPR-Cas9 that targets specific genes tied to fertility in male mosquitoes, we can slow the spread of potentially deadly diseases such as Zika, dengue fever and yellow fever. This genome editing tool is creating a buzz in the science world, as ... |
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Gene Editing Could Render Mosquitos InfertileU.S. Army DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory Public Affairs, U.S. Army, 2021.
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Sterile males and females can synergistically suppress wild pests targeted by sterile insect techniqueY. Ikegawa, K. Ito, C. Himuro and A. Honma, Journal of Theoretical Biology, 530. 2021.
We constructed a mathematical model to examine the contribution of sterile males and females to the pest-control effect and the synergy between them. We consider that males seek out and court females in accord with their own female searching ability and preference, and that ... |
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Genetically Modified MosquitoesE. P. Caragata, Y. Lee and E. A. Buckner, UF IFAS Extension Service, 2021.
Genetically modified (GM) mosquitoes are controversial, partly because of misinformation. This publication provides science-based information about GM mosquitoes to the public and anyone involved in mosquito control. It explains what GM mosquitoes are and why they are being ... |
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A Monte Carlo study to investigate the feasibility to use the Moroccan panoramic irradiator in sterile insect technique programsA. Aknouch, Y. El-ouardi, L. Hamroud, R. Sebihi, M. Mouhib, M. Yjjou, A. Didi and A. Choukri, Radiation and Environmental Biophysics, 2021.
Mediterranean fly pest (Ceratitis) is one of the most destructive pests of fruit species in Morocco. The sterile insect technique (SIT) is an environmentally friendly strategy that uses ionizing radiation to sterilize adult insects. Morocco has a panoramic gamma irradiator used ... |
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Oxitec eyes California for its next GM mosquito pilot projecJ. Conrow, , 2021.
Buoyed by its success in the Florida Keys, Oxitec Ltd. is now looking to California to test its program for controlling mosquito pests through genetic engineering, rather than insecticides. The field research is intended to show that genetically modified (GM) mosquitoes are a ... |
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Oxitec Advances Process to Bring Friendly™ Mosquito Technology to California to Help Government Agencies Protect Public HealthOxitec, Oxitec, 2021.
Following successful launch of its Friendly™ Aedes aegypti pilot program in the Florida Keys, Oxitec, the leading developer of biological solutions to control pests that transmit disease, destroy crops and harm livestock, has requested approval from the U.S. Environmental ... |
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Transgenic expression of Nix converts genetic females into males and allows automated sex sorting in Aedes albopictusC. Lutrat, R. P. Olmo, T. Baldet, J. Bouyer and E. Marois, bioRxiv, 2021.07.28.454191. 2021.
Aedes albopictus is a major vector of arboviruses. Better understanding of its sex determination is crucial for developing mosquito control tools, especially genetic sexing strains. In Aedes aegypti, Nix is the primary gene responsible for masculinization and Nix-expressing ... |
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Sex separation of Aedes spp. mosquitoes for sterile insect technique application: a reviewB. M. Moran-Aceves, C. F. Marina, A. Dor, P. Liedo and J. Toledo, Entomologia Experimentalis Et Applicata, 10. 2021.
Separation of the sexes is necessary for the application of the sterile insect technique (SIT) in mosquitoes due to the hematophagous habits and disease vector activity of the females. In this review we analyze the history, current status, and future perspectives for the ... |
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Using Moderate Transgene Expression to Improve the Genetic Sexing System of the Australian Sheep Blow Fly Lucilia cuprinaY. Yan, M. E. Williamson and M. J. Scott, Insects, 11. 2021.
The sterile insect technique (SIT) is a promising strategy to control the Australian sheep blow fly Lucilia cuprina, a major pest of sheep. We have previously developed a transgenic embryonic sexing system (TESS) for this pest to facilitate the potential SIT application. TESS ... |
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The Possible Role of Microorganisms in Mosquito Mass RearingL. Chersoni, A. Checcucci, M. Malfacini, A. Puggioli, F. Balestrino, M. Carrieri, I. Piunti, M. L. Dindo, P. Mattarelli and R. Bellini, Insects, 12. 2021.
In Europe, one of the most significant mosquitoes of public health importance is Aedes albopictus (Skuse), an allochthonous species of Asian origin. One of the most promising control methods against Aedes albopictus is the sterile insect technique (SIT), which consists of mass ... |
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Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) and Its ApplicationsK. Bourtzis and M. J. B. Vreysen, Insects, 12. 2021.
Although most insect species have a beneficial role in the ecosystems, some of them represent major plant pests and disease vectors for livestock and humans. During the last six–seven decades, the sterile insect technique (SIT) has been used as part of area-wide integrated pest ... |
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Unique effort underway to control deadly mosquitos in Florida KeysK. Corso and L. Aguirre, Local10.com, 2021.
According to the World Health Organization, more than 50% of the world’s population is under the threat of mosquito borne diseases. In South Florida, the Keys are a hot spot for infection and now the first place in the United States for a novel approach to eradicating these ... |
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Improvement of the Mass-Rearing Protocols for the South American Fruit Fly for Application of the Sterile Insect TechniqueT. Mastrangelo, A. Kovaleski, B. Maset, M. D. Costa, C. Barros, L. A. Lopes and C. Caceres, Insects, 12. 2021.
The existing rearing protocols for Anastrepha fraterculus must be reviewed to make economically viable the production of sterile flies for their area-wide application. Additionally, evidence of sexual incompatibility between a long-term mass-reared Brazilian strain and wild ... |
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Comparative response to post-production process of two Anastrepha ludens strains: Application in the sterile insect techniqueJ. Arredondo, J. F. Aguirre-Medina, J. S. Meza, J. Cancino and F. Diaz-Fleischer, Journal of Applied Entomology, 11. 2021.
The new desiccation-resistant (DR) strain of Anastrepha ludens Loew differs in its life-history traits from the non-selected strain (NS). Given the innate resistance of DR flies to stressors, it is necessary to determine the packing and shipment conditions for their use in the ... |
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Effect of the timing of pupal irradiation on the quality and sterility of oriental fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) for use in Sterile Insect TechniqueT. J. Fezza, P. A. Follett and T. E. Shelly, Applied Entomology and Zoology, 8. 2021.
The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) is a target-specific, biologically based method used to control pestiferous tephritids entailing the release of mass-reared, sterilized males of the target species to achieve sterile male x wild female matings. As documented for several ... |
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Remating in Ceratitis capitata sterile males: Implications in sterile insect technique programmesM. Catala-Oltra, E. Llacer, O. Dembilio, I. Pla, A. Urbaneja and M. Perez-Hedo, Journal of Applied Entomology, 8. 2021.
Sterile insect technique (SIT) is used, among other biological control tools, as a sustainable measure for the management of Ceratitis capitata Wiedemann (Diptera: Tephritidae) in many agricultural regions where this pest can trigger severe economic impacts. The tendency of wild ... |
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A transgenic female killing system for the genetic control of Drosophila suzukiiM. F. Schetelig, J. Schwirz and Y. Yan, Scientific Reports, 11:12938. 2021.
The spotted wing Drosophila (Drosophila suzukii) is an invasive pest of soft-skinned fruit crops. It is rapidly transmitted in Europe and North America, causing widespread agricultural losses. Genetic control strategies such as the sterile insect technique (SIT) have been ... |
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Why Flight Testing is an Important Step in Sterile Insect TechniqueE. Ricciuti, Entomology Today, 2021.
Releasing hordes of sterilized male insects for unfruitful mating with females—a process known as the sterile insect technique (SIT)—is a proven process for combating many species of pests. Its success depends on sterile males dispersing widely enough to outcompete their wild ... |
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Why Are Gates and Pentagon Releasing GMO Mosquitoes in Florida Keys?F. W. Engdahl, LewRockwell.com, 2021.
On April 30 the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District and the Oxitec biotechnology company announced they will begin release of what will ultimately be some 750 million genetically manipulated or gene-edited Aedes Aegypti mosquitos using CRSPR gene editing technology. The Aedes ... |
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Genetically Modified Mosquitoes; ‘Truth Like Oil’ NovelHere and Now, WBUR, 2021.
Florida Keys officials are working on a unique experiment: hatching thousands of genetically modified mosquitos and releasing them. Andrea Leal of the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District explains. |
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Temperature-Inducible Precision Guided Sterile Insect TechniqueN. P. Kandul, J. Liu and O. S. Akbari, bioRxiv, 2021.06.14.448312. 2021.
Releases of sterile males are the gold standard for many insect population control programs, and precise sex sorting to remove females prior to male releases is essential to the success of these operations. To advance traditional methods for scaling the generation of sterile ... |
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The First Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Have Just Been Released in The USAdmin, Science World, 2021.
The biotech firm Oxitec has released its genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys, with the goal of suppressing wild, disease-carrying mosquito populations in the region. This is the first time genetically modified mosquitoes have been released in the US. Oxitec ... |
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Bill Gates Releasing Genetically Modified Mosquitoes in Florida? Here’s the Whole StoryM. Dapcevich, Snopes, 2021.
Bill Gates is not himself releasing mosquitoes into the wild. However, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation did award grants that funded biotech company Oxitec's work to develop genetically modified mosquitoes that may help reduce the spread of malaria and other mosquito-borne ... |
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Mutant mosquitoes carrying ‘death gene’ released as ‘bio-engineered’ insects terrifyJ. Caven, Daily Star, 2021.
Mutant mosquitoes which carry a ‘death gene’ have been released into the skies in a bid to curb diseases from spreading to humans. Tens of thousands of genetically modified male insects will mate with female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which transmit illnesses, in Florida ... |
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Genetically Altered Mosquitoes Target Deadly Dengue Fever and ZikaR. L. Hotz, Wall Street Journal, 2021.
Across the Florida Keys this week, newly hatched mosquitoes are swarming from damp flowerpots, waterlogged spare tires, trash cans and drainage ditches. In six neighborhoods, however, a change is buzzing in the air. Scientists have genetically modified thousands of these ... |
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Mosquitoes are deadly pests, genetically-modified mosquitoes could help stop diseaseT. Browne, ClickOrlando, 2021.
Hearing the words “genetically modified mosquitoes” can sound like the plot for a science-fiction movie but Meredith Fenson, a native Floridian turned biological pest control specialist says, “mosquitoes are the world’s deadliest animal by far” and a study happening ... |
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A Novel Genetic Sexing Strain of Anastrepha Ludens for Cost-Effective Sterile Insect Technique Applications: Improved Genetic Stability and Rearing EfficiencyE. Ramírez-Santos, P. Rendon, G. Gouvi, A. Zacharopoulou, K. Bourtzis, C. Cáceres and K. Bloem, Insects, 12. 2021.
Anastrepha ludens (Loew) is one of the most destructive insect pests damaging several fruits of economic importance. The sterile insect technique (SIT) is used under an area-wide integrated pest management approach, to suppress these pest populations. Mass rearing facilities were ... |
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Genetic engineering may help control disease-carrying mosquitoesAnonymous, The Economist, 2021.
EVERY YEAR, hundreds of millions of people catch mosquito-borne diseases like malaria and dengue fever. Hundreds of thousands die. Drug treatments are imperfect. And, despite decades of effort, vaccines have, for many of these diseases, proved tricky to perfect. Better, then, to ... |
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Suppression of female fertility in Aedes aegypti with a CRISPR-targeted male-sterile mutationJ. Chen, J. Luo, Y. Wang, A. S. Gurav, M. Li, O. S. Akbari and C. Montell, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118:e2105075118. 2021.
We introduced and characterized the impact on female fertility of an Ae. aegypti mutation that disrupts a gene that is specifically expressed in testes. We used CRISPR/Cas9 to generate a null mutation in the Ae. aegypti β2-tubulin (B2t) gene, which eliminates male fertility. ... |
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Oxitec takes on growing cattle tick challengesAnnonymous, The Cattle Site, 2021.
Oxitec Ltd, the leading developer of biological solutions to control pests that transmit disease, destroy crops and harm livestock, announced that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded a grant for a feasibility project to develop an Oxitec self-limiting solution for the ... |
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Pest reduction with female killers and sterile malesL. Mertz, Good Fruit Grower, 2021.
New ways to fight spotted wing drosophila are in the works, thanks to new genetic engineering tools. These transgenic methods introduce new reproduction-hampering genes into male SWD, so that when they mate with females, the females either don’t have any young, or their female ... |
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Sterilizing skeeters using CRISPR/Cas9H. Tasoff, Phy Org, 2021.
Mosquitoes are one of humanity's greatest nemeses, estimated to spread infections to nearly 700 million people per year and cause more than one million deaths. UC Santa Barbara Distinguished Professor Craig Montell has made a breakthrough in one technique for controlling ... |
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Florida Environmental Group Says GMO Mosquitoes Fall Short on Scientific RigorC. Drukier, NTD, 2021.
America’s first genetically modified mosquitoes are now buzzing around six locations in the Florida Keys as part of a pilot project. Developed by UK biotech company Oxitec, the bugs are designed to kill off the wild population of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that carry diseases ... |
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Sterile Insect Technique: Successful Suppression of an Aedes aegypti Field Population in CubaR. Gato, Z. Menendez, E. Prieto, R. Argiles, M. Rodriguez, W. Baldoquin, Y. Hernandez, D. Perez, J. Anaya, I. Fuentes, C. Lorenzo, K. Gonzalez, Y. Campo and J. Bouyer, Insects, 12:13. 2021.
Here, we describe an open field trial to evaluate the effect of the release of irradiated male Ae. aegypti on a wild population. The pilot trial was carried out in a suburb of Havana and compared the mosquito population density before and after the intervention, in both untreated ... |
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Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Take Flight to Fight Invasive Species in FloridT. Machemer, Smithosonian Magazine, 2021.
In late April, the biotechnology company Oxitec placed blue-and-white hexagonal boxes on the properties of six private volunteers around the Florida Keys. After pouring in water, the genetically modified mosquito eggs inside activated and hatched. Now the first larvae have ... |
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Genetically modified mosquitoes may help scientists swat dreaded midgeW. Jean, The Times, 2021.
Scotland’s bloodthirsty midges may finally meet their match thanks to revolutionary genetic manipulation techniques that could stop the pesky insects biting chunks out of the tourist industry. News that a British biotechnology company has created genetically modified non-biting ... |
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British Firm Develops ‘Friendly’ Fall Armyworm To Save CropsJ. Choubey, Zenger, 2021.
The genetically modified fall armyworm, a pest that has invaded farms across Asia, Africa, and the Americas, has been developed by U.K-based biotechnology firm Oxitec to reduce the species’ population. The fall armyworm, or Spodoptera frugiperda, is a lepidopteran pest ... |
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Bliotech firm behind CRISPR mosquitoes is working on other gene-hacked creaturesD. Robitzski, Futurism, 2021.
Brazil’s regulatory agency CTNBio gave Oxitec and Bayer the approval they needed to launch a field test of the gene-hacked armyworm — technically a caterpillar — on commercial crops, so there may be genetically altered bugs crawling across corn farms in the area soon. ... |
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The U.S.’s first open-air genetically modified mosquitoes have taken flightS. Milius, Science News, 2021.
The first genetically modified mosquitoes that will be allowed to fly free outdoors in the United States have started reaching the age for mating in the Florida Keys. In a test of the biotech company Oxitec’s GM male mosquitoes for pest control, these Aedes aegypti started ... |
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Use of genetically modifed mosquitoes to minimize the burden of diseases casused by mosquitoes in South Texas.MDN Staff, MegaDoctor News, 2021.
Of the many species of mosquitoes, female Aedes aegypti is the primary vector that is responsible for transmission of several diseases and has been most extensively studied. The efforts of the World Health Organization and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to prevent ... |
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Monster Mosquito–Why the Technology of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes is Dangerous and Should Be Stopped WorldwideB. Dogra, counter currents, 2021.
After sparking controversy in other countries including India, the technology of genetically engineered mosquitoes is now leading to widespread protests in Florida USA. Here the biotechnology giant company Oxitec in collaboration with local officialdom is moving ahead with a ... |
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Florida releases genetically modified mosquitoes in hopes to reduce spread of diseaseA. Fahim, Reuters, 2021.
Genetically modified mosquitoes have been released for the first time in the United States, taking flight in the Florida Keys in a pilot program intended to reduce the spread of deadly diseases such as dengue, yellow fever and the Zika virus.After an odyssey spanning more than a ... |
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Why Florida is releasing genetically modified mosquitoesM. Murphy, The Telegraph, 2021.
The thousands of lab-grown mosquitoes hatching in humid gardens across Florida’s tropical Key West next week will be blissfully ignorant of the controversy they have caused. Billboards have already begun appearing near busy motorways in protest of their arrival, with one ... |
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Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Have Come to the U.S. Will They Work?A. de la Garza, TIME, 2021.
“Our Mosquito Project Takes Flight,” reads a baby-blue billboard off US-1 in the Florida Keys, alongside an image of an insect tracing a path in the shape of a heart. Sponsored by the local mosquito control board and U.K.-based biotech firm Oxitec, the ad promotes a ... |
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Bill Gates finances the creation of transgenic mosquitoesExplica.co, explica, 2021.
Male mosquitoes (they do not bite. They feed on nectar, not blood) from Oxitec will emerge from release boxes placed in six locations in the Florida Keys to mate with local female mosquitoes (they do bite. They do feed on blood). The female offspring from these encounters cannot ... |
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Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Released In US For First Time To Combat DiseaseJ. Van Zijl, IFL Science, 2021.
A landmark project, spearheaded by the biotechnology company, Oxitec, has released genetically modified mosquitos in the Florida Keys. This marks the first time that genetically modified mosquitos have been released into the wild in the US. The reason: to combat the Aedes aegypti ... |
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Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Released In Florida ‘Jurassic Park Experiment’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 ... |
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Gravitas: Genetically modified mosquitoes arrive in FloridaP. Sharma, WION, 2021.
Genetically engineered mosquitoes have arrived in U.S. 20 million 'modified mosquitoes' will be released in Florida to help prevent Dengue. But, Florida residents fear a 'mosquito apocalypse' |
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Reengineered mosquitoes released in Florida pilot programS. W. Tan, The Washington Times, 2021.
Genetically engineered mosquitoes have been released in the U.S. for the first time in the Florida Keys, with hopes of quelling wild, disease-carrying mosquito populations in the region. British-based biotech firm Oxitec genetically engineered Aedes aegypti non-biting male ... |
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First genetically modified mosquitoes released in USN. Lanese, LiveScience, 2021.
The biotech firm Oxitec has released its genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys, with the goal of suppressing wild, disease-carrying mosquito populations in the region. This is the first time genetically modified mosquitoes have been released in the U.S. Oxitec ... |
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Bill Gates-backed startup releases millions of genetically modified mosquitoesENTREPRENEUR STAFF, Entrepreneur, 2021.
The British company Oxitec released a cloud of hundreds of millions of genetically modified mosquitoes to study how to control their reproduction and thus stop the spread of dengue, Zika, malaria, etc. As reported by Axios , the company, which is funded by the Bill and Melinda ... |
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First US Field Test of GM Mosquitoes Begins in FloridaC. Wilcox, The Scientist, 2021.
he first US field test of genetically modified mosquitoes for population control has begun in Florida. Approximately 144,000 mosquitoes engineered by the UK-based biotech firm Oxitec are to be expected to be set free over the next three months, the first of up to 750 million ... |
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The first transgenic mosquitoes were releaseed in the United States.D. Davis, Prudent Press Agency, 2021.
After a decade of fighting for regulatory approval and public acceptance, the biotech company has released GMO mosquitoes outdoors in the United States for the first time. The experiment, which began this week in the Florida Keys, despite objections from some local critics, is ... |
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The Bill Gates Corporation, Backed by Bill Gates, Releases Thousands of Genetically Modified MosquitoesT. Meeks, Aviation Analysis, 2021.
British company Oxitec has launched transgenic mosquitoes in the Florida Keys, in the United States, to study how to control their reproduction and thus limit the spread of chronic diseases transmitted by insects such as dengue fever and the Zika virus. The company, funded by ... |
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Sterile Insect Technique Programme against Mediterranean Fruit Fly in the Valencian Community (Spain)I. Plá, J. García de Oteyza, C. Tur, M. Á. Martínez, M. C. Laurín, E. Alonso, M. Martínez, Á. Martín, R. Sanchis, M. C. Navarro, M. T. Navarro, R. Argilés, M. Briasco, Ó. Dembilio and V. Dalmau, Insects, 12. 2021.
The Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wied.), is an endemic pest in fruit-growing areas of the Spanish Mediterranean coast. In the Valencian Community, it represents a serious problem in the cultivation of citrus and numerous species of fruit, such as peach, cherry, ... |
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Stable isotopes for reliable identification of wild and mass-reared Queensland fruit flies in sterile insect technique programsB. Mainali, A. S. Andrew, P. W. Taylor and P. Rempoulakis, Journal of Pest Science, 14. 2021.
Queensland fruit fly is one of the most economically important horticultural pests in Australia. Sterile insect technique (SIT) is now being reconsidered and upscaled to combat this pest so reliable discrimination of released sterile Q-flies from wild flies in monitoring traps is ... |
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Genetically modified mosquitos: Biohacking for disease prevention.D. Maloney, HACKADAY, 2021.
Mosquito control is basically a numbers game, stacked in their favor. Since each female lays 100 to 200 eggs in a clutch, in wet climates, mosquitos are simply too prolific to get ahead of using standard means. Coupled with collateral damage to the environment — draining ... |
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First genetically modified mosquitoes released in the United StatesE. Waltz, Nature, 2021.
After a decade of fighting for regulatory approval and public acceptance, a biotechnology firm has released genetically engineered mosquitoes into the open air in the United States for the first time. The experiment, launched this week in the Florida Keys — over the objections ... |
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Oxitec releases first genetically modified mosquitoes in U.S.J. Knutson, Axios, 2021.
Oxitec, a British startup determined to prevent instances of mosquito-borne disease, released thousands of genetically modified mosquito eggs in the Florida Keys this week as part of a test approved by the Environmental Protection Agency and Florida's agriculture department. Why ... |
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Armyworm meets Friendly mothM. Francisco, Nature Biotechnology, 39:532-532. 2021.
The fall armyworm moth, a pest so named for its caterpillar’s invasive and destructive behavior, may now have to contend with a ‘Friendly’ foe. UK-based Oxitec and agbiotech giant Bayer have jointly developed a genetically modified variety to combat the fall armyworm ... |
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Genetically modified mosquitoes have landed in the Keys. Here’s what you need to knowG. Filosa, Miami Herald, 2021.
More than 20 million genetically modified mosquitoes are coming to the Florida Keys this year, in a landmark project by British biotech company Oxitec and Monroe County’s Mosquito Control District. This mosquito control method hasn’t been used in the U.S. before. It’s a ... |
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Genetically modified mosquitoes | Connect the Dotsthv11, THV11, 2021.
This is a local TV story from Arkansas of the Oxitec trial being conducted in Florida. |
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‘Home to GMO Mosquitoes?!’ Florida Unleashes a Billion Lab Grown MosquitoesAnonymous, B and T MAGAZINE, 2021.
Up to a billion genetically engineered mosquitoes are going to be released in the Florida Keys—but locals are having none of it, with billboards erected saying ‘no!’ to the damned blood suckers. The genetically-modified mosquitoes, known as the OX5034, were made in a ... |
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The Release of 1 Billion Exterminator Mosquitoes Has BegunD. Noor, Gizmodo, 2021.
Tens of thousands of male mosquitoes are descending on the Florida Keys. But these are no ordinary mosquitoes: They’re genetically modified, and they were planted around the state on purpose. It’s part of a plan to curb disease by releasing 1 billion mosquitoes across two ... |
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First-ever US release of genetically modified mosquitoes begins in Florida KeysS. LaMotte, CNN, 2021.
The first release of genetically modified mosquitoes in the United States began this week in the Florida Keys -- the culmination of a decade-long effort by local mosquito control authorities to see if a genetically modified organism is a viable alternative to spraying ... |
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The first genetically modified mosquitoes released in the U.S. to buzz in the Florida KeysK. Weintraub, USA Today, 2021.
On Thursday morning, workers from a British company placed basketball-sized cardboard boxes into six yards in the Florida Keys. Then they added water. In a week or so, 12,000 male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes will – one by one – begin buzzing out of each box, the first ... |
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A Billion Lab-Grown Mosquitos Are Being Released and People Are Freaking OutV. Kipnis, Vice, 2021.
On Thursday afternoon, six Florida Keys residents will walk out into their yards and set out aquamarine cardboard boxes filled with mosquito larvae. Then, water will be poured into the containers. For the next ten days, as the mosquitoes grow into adults, their neighbors will be ... |
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The mosquito-bite fight beginsF. Billingsley, Click2Houston, 2021.
Anyone who thought February’s freeze would kill all the mosquitos is biting up the wrong leg. They are back and, seemingly so, with a vengeance (did surviving just make them stronger, one wonders?). In Florida this week, an interesting and controversial fight against the bite ... |
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Nearly 144K GMO Mosquitoes to be Released in South Florida: What We KnowJ. Prigeon, 6 South Florida, 2021.
Nearly 144,000 genetically modified mosquitoes will be released in South Florida this week as part of an effort to reduce the population disease-carrying mosquitoes. The landmark release of GMO insects marks the beginning of the U.S.-approved program to control the number of ... |
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Nation’s first trial of genetically modified mosquitoes starts in Florida KeysS. Brock, TODAY, 2021.
To control the population of potentially disease-spreading mosquitoes, a controversial project is getting underway in the Florida Keys, highlighted by the release of even more mosquitoes that have been genetically modified. NBC’s Sam Brock reports for TODAY from Miami. |
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Florida Unleashing Thousands of MosquitoesAnonymous, The Weather Channel, 2021.
Florida will begin releasing thousands of genetically modified mosquitoes in the Keys this week to combat diseases like Zika and dengue. But the government’s green light has some residents seeing red. |
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GMO mosquitoes to be released in Florida KeysNBC News, WRCBtv, 2021.
Florida will begin releasing genetically modified mosquitoes this week as part of its efforts to control one of the disease-spreading species of the biting insect. The state will release almost 144,000 nonbiting male mosquitoes in the coming weeks engineered by the British firm ... |
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Nearly 150,000 Gene-Hacked Mosquitoes to Be Unleashed in FloridaS. Kim, Newsweek, 2021.
Nearly 150,000 mosquitoes that have been genetically modified by Oxitec, a biotechnology company based in the U.K., will be released across parts of Monroe County's Florida Keys region starting this week. The release is part of an experiment to help combat a disease-transmitting ... |
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Genetically modified mosquito larvae to be released in Florida KeysE. Helmore, The Guardian, 2021.
The Florida Keys will this week see the release of genetically modified, non-biting male mosquito larvae as part of a controversial program designed to curb the spread of insect-borne diseases such as dengue, Zika and yellow fever. The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District and ... |
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Florida set to release swarms of GMO mosquitoes as residents decry ‘criminal experiment’ by Bill Gates-backed biotechrt com, rt com, 2021.
A plan to release thousands of genetically modified mosquitoes in an effort to combat disease in the Florida Keys has triggered dire concerns among locals, some saying the “criminal” experiment will turn them into guinea pigs. Spearheaded by the Florida Keys Mosquito Control ... |
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“Maskandi experience”: exploring the use of a cultural song for community engagement in preparation for a pilot Sterile Insect Technique release programme for malaria vector control in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa 2019P. N. Manana, S. Jewett, J. Zikhali, D. Dlamini, N. Mabaso, Z. Mlambo, R. Ngobese and G. Munhenga, Malaria Journal, 20:11. 2021.
Background An assessment of the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) as a complementary malaria vector control tool, is at an advanced stage in South Africa. The technique involves the release of laboratory-reared sterilized male mosquitoes of the major malaria vector Anopheles ... |
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BUZZ OFF Florida residents blast pest control ‘TERRORISTS’ over plans to unleash a BILLION mutant mosquitoes in the KeysJ. Bentley-York, The SUN, 2021.
The areas Mosquito Control District (FKMCD) are set to release the gene hacked ‘fraken-squitoes' in a bid to fight insect-borne viruses like yellow fever. A BILLION mutant mosquitoes are set to be released in the Keys to fight insect-borne viruses like yellow fever Florida pest ... |
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Florida to release a billion genetically modified mosquitoes and people are worriedB. Robinson, indy100, 2021.
It sounds like the pitch for a horror movie, but Florida’s about to release up to a billion genetically modified mosquitoes in the Keys. What could go wrong? Florida residents and environmentalists are already voicing their concerns after state officials and Oxitec, a ... |
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Thousands of genetically modified mosquitoes being released in FloridaT. Lapin, New York Post, 2021.
Thousands of genetically modified mosquitoes have begun to be released in Florida this week as part of an effort to combat a disease-spreading species of the insect. The buzzy project, from British biotech company Oxitec, aims to curb the population of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, ... |
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Halt This Nightmare’: Alarm as Florida Set to Begin Release of Genetically Engineered MosquitoesJ. Johnson, Common Dreams, 2021.
Environmentalists and Florida residents voiced concern and outrage Monday as state government officials and the biotechnology giant Oxitec announced plans to move ahead this week with a pilot project that involves releasing up to a billion genetically engineered mosquitoes in ... |
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Florida residents claim ‘pest control trial’ that will release up to a BILLION genetically engineered mosquitos in the Keys to reduce species carrying diseases is ‘TERRORISM’S. Liberatore, Daily Mail, 2021.
The Florida Keys will soon be buzzing with close to a billion 'fraken-squitoes' – gene-hacked mosquitoes aimed at eradicating a disease carrying mosquito. The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District (FKMCD) and Oxitec, a British biotech company, are starting the first-ever U.S. ... |
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Coalition Against GMO Mosquito Condemns Release of Genetically Engineered MosquitoesGMO Free USA, 3BL CSRwire, 2021.
Despite a decade of community opposition, the experimental release of genetically engineered mosquitoes begins today in the Florida Keys. British biotech corporation, Oxitec, in collaboration with the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District, plans to release up to a billion ... |
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Nation’s First Trial Of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Starts In Florida KeysN. Klingener, WLRN, 2021.
Boxes containing the eggs of genetically modified Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, water and a little food are being placed in six locations in the Lower and Middle Keys this week — in a trial that will be the first of its kind in the United States. The genetic modification is ... |
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Genetically-engineered mosquitoes set for release in Florida Keys: Science offers tool to fight Zika, dengue, malaria but critics claim it’s unnecessary and potentially dangerousJ. Musto, Genetic Literacy Project, 2021.
U.K.-based biotechnology company Oxitec has partnered with the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District in an effort to control the invasive and disease-spreading female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in the region. Oxitec’s [genetically modified] male mosquitoes — which don’t ... |
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Development of Sterile Insect Technique for Control of the European Grapevine Moth, Lobesia botrana, in Urban Areas of ChileG. S. Simmons, M. C. Salazar Sepulveda, E. A. Fuentes Barrios, M. Idalsoaga Villegas, R. E. Medina Jimenez, A. R. Garrido Jerez, R. Henderson and H. Donoso Riffo, Insects, 12. 2021.
The European grapevine moth, a Palearctic pest, was first detected in the Americas in 2008. Its establishment in Chile presented production and export issues for grapes and other fruits, and a national control campaign was launched. Urban areas next to agricultural production ... |
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UK biotech firm’s 750 mn GM mosquitoes will mate with females off Florida, sow a deadly geneS. Ramesh, The Print, 2021.
Oxitec, a UK-based biotechnology company, plans to release genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys islands off the US this month as part of a trial to curb mosquito-borne diseases like dengue and the one caused by the Zika virus. This is the latest genetic engineering ... |
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Estimates of the population size and dispersal range of Anopheles arabiensis in Northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: implications for a planned pilot programme to release sterile male mosquitoesM. L. Kaiser, O. R. Wood, D. Damiens, B. D. Brooke, L. L. Koekemoer and G. Munhenga, Parasites and Vectors, 14:18. 2021.
The Anopheles gambiae complex and An. funestus group species made up the majority of wild collections along with other anophelines. The An. arabiensis population size was estimated to be between 550 and 9500 males per hectare depending on time of year, weather conditions and ... |
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Florida to release genetically modified mosquitoes to fight diseaseK. Jones, WND, 2021.
A biotechnology company will soon release genetically modified mosquitoes in certain areas of the Florida Keys in order to combat infectious diseases spread by the parasitic insects.The findings could lead to a new method for combating the spread of diseases such as the Zika ... |
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Dengue fever and Zika The first genetically modified mosquitoes are released in Florida to fight diseaseM. Woolridge, The Daily Guardian, 2021.
Biotechnology Corporation Oxitec Planning to release transgenic mosquitoes in Florida Keys. The company says its technology aims to combat dengue fever, a deadly disease transmitted by mosquitoes Aedes aegyptiIn addition to other diseases such as Zika.According to Who is the And ... |
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Oxitec Receives Landmark Biosafety Approval for New Fall Armyworm Control SolutionOxitec, Oxitec, 2021.
Approval of Oxitec’s Friendly™ fall armyworm technology by the Brazilian government’s regulatory agency CTNBio confirms that it is safe for people, animals and the environment. Oxitec’s Friendly™ fall armyworm is a new, safe, and sustainable solution to one of the ... |
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The Insect Pest Control Laboratory of the Joint FAO/IAEA Programme: Ten Years (2010–2020) of Research and Development, Achievements and Challenges in Support of the Sterile Insect TechniqueM. J. B. Vreysen, A. M. M. Abd-Alla, K. Bourtzis, J. Bouyer, C. Caceres, C. de Beer, D. Oliveira Carvalho, H. Maiga, W. Mamai, K. Nikolouli, H. Yamada and R. Pereira, Insects, 12. 2021.
The Joint FAO/IAEA Centre (formerly called Division) of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture was established in 1964 and its accompanying laboratories in 1961. One of its subprograms deals with insect pest control, and has the mandate to develop and implement the sterile ... |
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Introduction of a cold sensitivity-conferring mutation into the RTA-Bddsx hybrid system of Bactrocera dorsalis for establishment of a thermally controllable homozygous lineS. M. Dai, C. Y. Huang and C. Chang, Pest Management Science, 7. 2021.
BACKGROUND For efficient control of the economically important fruit pest Bactrocera dorsalis, a hybrid system combining ricin toxicity and sex-related alternative splicing of the doublesex gene has been developed. This system exhibits the expected female-specific lethal effect; ... |
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Determining the Sterilization Doses under Hypoxia for the Novel Black Pupae Genetic Sexing Strain of Anastrepha fraterculus (Diptera, Tephritidae)P. D. Giustina, T. Mastrangelo, S. Ahmad, G. Mascarin and C. Caceres, Insects, 12. 2021.
Our study reports for the first time the dose-sterility response under hypoxia for two different A. fraterculus strains. The pupae were derived from a bisexual strain (a Brazilian-1 population) and a recently developed genetic sexing strain (GSS-89). Two hours prior to ... |
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Village hears from experts as genetic-mosquito release experiment nears.J. McCarthy, KEYSWEEKLY, 2021.
On March 18, Islamorada Village Council heard from several independent scientists who discussed information and issues behind the genetically modified mosquitoes for population and disease suppression. The scientists collectively said they’re neither for nor against the ... |
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Sterile Insect Technique in an Integrated Vector Management Program against Tiger Mosquito Aedes albopictus in the Valencia Region (Spain): Operating Procedures and Quality Control ParametersC. Tur, D. Almenar, S. Benlloch-Navarro, R. Argilés-Herrero, M. Zacarés, V. Dalmau and I. Pla, Insects, 12. 2021.
The Agriculture Department of the Valencian Region is promoting an ongoing pilot project to evaluate the efficacy of an integrated vector management program (IVM) based on the use of the SIT as the main method of control. The laboratory studies for evaluating the entomological ... |
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When More is Less: Mosquito Population Suppression Using Sterile, Incompatible and Genetically Modified Male MosquitoesS. L. Dobson, Journal of Medical Entomology, 58:1980-1986. 2021.
The current review of the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) is motivated by new technologies and the recent renaissance of male release field trials, which is driving an evolution in mosquito control and regulation. Practitioners that are releasing male mosquitoes would do well to ... |
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Mosquito anxiety prompts query from congressmanT. Java, Keynews.com, 2021.
Anxiety among some residents over the pending release of hundreds of millions of genetically modified mosquitoes next month in undisclosed locations throughout the Florida Keys has prompted Congressman Carlos Gimenez to seek answers from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. ... |
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Eliminating Mosquitoes with Precision Guided Sterile MalesM. Li, T. Yang, M. Bui, S. Gamez, T. Wise, N. P. Kandul, J. Liu, L. Alcantara, H. Lee, J. R. Edula, R. Raban, Y. Zhan, Y. Wang, N. DeBeaubien, J. Chen, H. M. Sanchez C, J. B. Bennett, I. Antoshechkin, C. Montell, J. M. Marshall and O. S. Akbari, bioRxiv, 2021.03.05.434167. 2021.
Here we develop a molecular genetic control system termed precision guided sterile insect technique (pgSIT) in Aedes aegypti. PgSIT uses a simple CRISPR-based approach to generate sterile males that are deployable at any life stage. Supported by mathematical models, we ... |
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Engineered expression of the invertebrate-specific scorpion toxin AaHIT reduces adult longevity and female fecundity in the diamondback moth Plutella xylostellaT. Harvey-Samuel, X. Xu, E. Lovett, T. Dafa'alla, A. Walker, V. C. Norman, R. Carter, J. Teal, L. Akilan, P. T. Leftwich, C. M. Reitmayer, H. A. Siddiqui and L. Alphey, Pest Management Science, 2021.
To increase the flexibility of future genetic pest management systems in the diamondback moth, we aimed to assess the use of a non-cell-autonomous, invertebrate-specific, neurotoxic effector ? the scorpion toxin AaHIT. This AaHIT effector was designed to be secreted by ... |
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Tensions rise as GM mosquito release nears in Florida KeysT. O'Hara, Keynews.com, 2021.
Tensions seem to be rising as a planned release of genetically modified mosquitoes nears. The British-based biotech company Oxitec plans to release genetically modified Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in the Florida Keys sometime after April, but has yet to disclose exact locations in ... |
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Florida Keys moves forward with genetically modified mosquitoesH. Vela, local10.com, 2021.
The feared GMO mosquitoes are not going away. Opponents of the technology fear the date of the release in the Florida Keys is getting closer, and they are not ready for the possible repercussions of the experiment. The fight over whether or not to release genetically modified ... |
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Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices Survey in Greece before the Implementation of Sterile Insect Technique against Aedes albopictusA. Stefopoulou, S. L. LaDeau, N. Syrigou, G. Balatsos, V. Karras, I. Lytra, E. Boukouvala, D. P. Papachristos, P. G. Milonas, A. Kapranas, P. Vahamidis and A. Michaelakis, Insects, 12. 2021.
A KAP tool was used to shed light on the knowledge, practices, and attitudes of local community members in order to better prepare and motivate participation in household mosquito control and to assess current understanding of SIT. Each household also received specific ... |
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When and where will millions of mosquitoes be released? Here are details for Florida KeysD. Goodhue, Miami Herald, 2021.
The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District announced this week a wide and vague planned range of deployment for the lab-designed mosquitoes — neighborhoods from mile marker 10 to 93. The trial is being conducted by British biotech company Oxitec. It’s a method approved by the ... |
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Sterile Insect Technique: Lessons From the PastM. Q. Benedict, Journal of Medical Entomology, 58:1974-1979. 2021.
When E.F. Knipling conceived of the release of sexually sterile insects to suppress wild populations, he laid down several fundamental qualities that characterized suitable target species—some of which mosquitoes generally violate—including high reproductive rates and large ... |
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Company uses engineered mosquitoes to prevent diseasesN. Herzog and D. Niesel, The Daily News, 2021.
It’s amazing how many serious infectious diseases are transmitted by insects like ticks, fleas and mosquitoes. These are called vector-borne diseases, which are responsible for significant human suffering and economic disruption. Mosquitoes are responsible for the spread of ... |
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Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) against Aedes Species Mosquitoes: A Roadmap and Good Practice Framework for Designing, Implementing and Evaluating Pilot Field TrialsC. F. Oliva, M. Q. Benedict, C. M. Collins, T. Baldet, R. Bellini, H. Bossin, J. Bouyer, V. Corbel, L. Facchinelli, F. Fouque, M. Geier, A. Michaelakis, D. Roiz, F. Simard, C. Tur and L.-C. Gouagna, Insects, 12. 2021.
We offer here a pragmatic and accessible ‘roadmap’ for the pre-pilot and pilot phases to guide any interested party. This will support stakeholders, non-specialist scientists, implementers, and decision-makers. Applying these concepts will ensure, given adequate resources, a ... |
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Mosquito trial will begin in April, but Keys locations won’t be disclosedS. Matthis, KEYSWEEKLY, 2021.
FKMCD spokesman Chad Huff wrote in an email, “The physical location of each box is still being finalized. Since most will be situated on private property at owner request, FKMCD-Oxitec will NOT be providing specific addresses due to privacy concerns and protection of project ... |
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Locals protest over genetically modified mosquito plan in Florida KeysD. Goodhue, Miami Herald, 2021.
Sometime this year, somewhere in the Florida Keys, a British biotech company is expected to release millions of genetically modified male mosquitoes in an effort to breed out of existence an invasive species of bug responsible for the transmittal of deadly diseases like dengue ... |
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Operational Parameters for the Aerial Release of Sterile Codling Moths Using an Uncrewed Aircraft SystemE. D. Esch, R. M. Horner, D. C. Krompetz, N. Moses-Gonzales, M. R. Tesche and D. M. Suckling, Insects, 12:2/13/2021. 2021.
The codling moth is a serious pest of apples in most regions of the world where this fruit is produced. The sterile insect technique is one strategy used to control this pest and is employed as part of an area-wide integrated pest management program for the codling moth in ... |
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Oxitec gears up for test releasesT. O'Hara, Keynews.com, 2021.
The United Kingdom-based biotech company Oxitec will soon announce the test locations and timetable for releasing its genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys. |
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Genetic Biocontrol WebinarsDavid O'Brochta and Hector Quemada, GeneConvene Global Collaborative, 2021.
In the mid 20th century various ideas emerged concerning how genetics and genetic principles could be directly applied to age-old problems of managing insects that threaten food security and public health. This series of webinars will explore the current state-of-the-art of ... |
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Improving the Phenotypic Properties of the Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae) Temperature-Sensitive Lethal Genetic Sexing Strain in Support of Sterile Insect Technique ApplicationsM. F. Porras, J. S. Meza, E. G. Rajotte, K. Bourtzis and C. Caceres, Journal of Economic Entomology, 113:2688-2694. 2021.
We present the first evidence that this slower development is due to a different gene, here namely slow development (sd), which is closely linked to the tsl gene. Taking advantage of recombination phenomena between the two loci, we report the isolation of a novel temperature ... |
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Sexual Competitiveness and Induced Egg Sterility by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus Gamma-Irradiated Males: A Laboratory and Field Study in MexicoJ. G. Bond, S. Aguirre-Ibáñez, A. R. Osorio, C. F. Marina, Y. Gómez-Simuta, R. Tamayo-Escobar, A. Dor, P. Liedo, D. O. Carvalho and T. Williams, Insects, 12. 2021.
The sterile insect technique may prove useful for the suppression of mosquito vectors of medical importance in regions where arboviruses pose a serious public health threat. In the present study, we examined the effects of sterilizing irradiation doses across different ratios of ... |
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GeneConvene Webinar Series on: Genetic BiocontrolDavid O'Brochta and Hector Quemada, , 2021.
In the mid 20th century various ideas emerged concerning how genetics and genetic principles could be directly applied to age-old problems of managing insects that threaten food security and public health. This series of webinars will explore the current state-of-the-art of what ... |
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Drivers of mosquito matingN. C. Manoukis, Science, 371:340. 2021.
Gene drive systems are based on the release of organisms whose genomes have been modified or engineered to spread a desired allele or trait (such as resistance to the parasites that cause malaria) through a population. Success will depend on the release of genetically modified ... |
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Clock genes and environmental cues coordinate Anopheles pheromone synthesis, swarming, and matingG. Wang, J. Vega-Rodríguez, A. Diabate, J. Liu, C. Cui, C. Nignan, L. Dong, F. Li, C. O. Ouedrago, A. M. Bandaogo, P. S. Sawadogo, H. Maiga, T. L. Alves e Silva, T. V. Pascini, S. Wang and M. Jacobs-Lorena, Science, 371:411. 2021.
Knockdown of per and tim expression affects Anopheles gambiae s.s. and Anopheles stephensi male mating in the laboratory, and it reduces male An. coluzzii swarming and mating under semifield conditions. Light and temperature affect mosquito mating, possibly by modulating per ... |
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White pupae phenotype of tephritids is caused by parallel mutations of a MFS transporterC. M. Ward, R. A. Aumann, M. A. Whitehead, K. Nikolouli, G. Leveque, G. Gouvi, E. Fung, S. J. Reiling, H. Djambazian, M. A. Hughes, S. Whiteford, C. Caceres-Barrios, T. N. M. Nguyen, A. Choo, P. Crisp, S. B. Sim, S. M. Geib, F. Marec, I. Hacker, J. Ragous, Nature Communications, 12. 2021.
Here, we use classical and modern genetic approaches to identify and functionally characterize causal wp(-) mutations in these distantly related fruit fly species. We find that the wp phenotype is produced by parallel mutations in a single, conserved gene. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated ... |
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Manipulation of Gut Symbionts for Improving the Sterile Insect Technique: Quality Parameters of Bactrocera dorsalis (Diptera: Tephritidae) Genetic Sexing Strain Males After Feeding on Bacteria-Enriched DietsQ. Zhang, P. Cai, B. Wang, X. Liu, J. Lin, R. Hua, H. Zhang, C. Yi, X. Song, Q. Ji, J. Yang and S. Chen, Journal of Economic Entomology, 114:560-570. 2021.
One environmentally friendly method used to manage Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), a key agricultural pest of substantial economic importance, is the sterile insect technique (SIT). Nevertheless, several deficiencies related to this strategy impair the success of the SIT, including ... |
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Population Dynamics of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus in Two Rural Villages in Southern Mexico: Baseline Data for an Evaluation of the Sterile Insect TechniqueC. F. Marina, J. G. Bond, K. Hernández-Arriaga, J. Valle, A. Ulloa, I. Fernández-Salas, D. O. Carvalho, K. Bourtzis, A. Dor, T. Williams and P. Liedo, Insects, 12. 2021.
Indoor and outdoor ovitraps were placed in 15 randomly selected houses in two rural villages in Chiapas, southern Mexico. In addition, ovitraps were placed in five transects surrounding each village, with three traps per transect, one at the edge, one at 50 m, and another at 100 ... |
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Sterile Insect Technique: Principles and Practice in Area-Wide Integrated Pest Management (2nd ed.)V. A. Dyck, J. Hendrichs and A. S. Robinson, CRC Press, 2021.
For several major insect pests, the environment-friendly sterile insect technique (SIT) is being applied as a component of area-wide integrated pest management (AW-IPM) programmes. This technology, using radiation to sterilize insects, was first developed in ... |
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ARS Science Key to Stopping ‘Man-Eating’ ParasiteS. Elliott, Tellus, 2021.
Screwworm infestations were once prevalent in the United States, with 230,000 cases reported in 1935 alone. ARS scientists Edward Knipling and Raymond Bushland conceived and developed the sterile insect technique (SIT) to control and eradicate screwworms. With SIT, sterilized ... |
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Transgenic cotton and sterile insect releases synergize eradication of pink bollworm a century after it invaded the United StatesB. E. Tabashnik, L. R. Liesner, P. C. Ellsworth, G. C. Unnithan, J. A. Fabrick, S. E. Naranjo, X. Li, T. J. Dennehy, L. Antilla, R. T. Staten and Y. Carrière, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118:e2019115118. 2020.
The program included releases of billions of sterile pink bollworm moths from airplanes and planting of cotton engineered to produce insect-killing proteins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis. Analysis of computer simulations and 21 y of field data from Arizona indicate ... |
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Genetic pest management and the background genetics of release strainsP. T. Leftwich, L. G. Spurgin, T. Harvey-Samuel, C. J. E. Thomas, L. C. Paladino, M. P. Edgington and L. Alphey, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 376:20190805. 2020.
We discuss issues around strain selection and the potential consequences of such introgression. We conclude that such introgression is probably harmless in almost all circumstances, and could, in theory, provide specific additional benefits to the release programme. We outline ... |
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Genetic sexing strains for the population suppression of the mosquito vector Aedes aegyptiP. Koskinioti, A. A. Augustinos, D. O. Carvalho, M. Misbah-ul-Haq, G. Pillwax, L. D. d. l. Fuente, G. Salvador-Herranz, R. A. Herrero and K. Bourtzis, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 376:20190808. 2020.
Here, we report on the construction of two genetic sexing strains using red- and white-eye colour mutations as selectable markers. Quality control analysis showed that the Red-eye genetic sexing strains (GSS) is better and more genetically stable than the White-eye GSS. The ... |
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CRISPR/Cas9 knockout of female-biased genes AeAct-4 or myo-fem in Ae. aegypti results in a flightless phenotype in female, but not male mosquitoesS. O’Leary and Z. N. Adelman, PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 14:e0008971. 2020.
Author summary Ae. aegypti is the most important vector of arboviruses throughout the world, and new strategies are urgently needed to add to our existing arsenal of control methods to prevent or halt disease transmission. Importantly, only female Ae. aegypti mosquitoes transmit ... |
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Precise single base substitution in the shibire gene by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated homology directed repair in Bactrocera tryoniA. Choo, E. Fung, I. Y. Chen, R. Saint, P. Crisp and S. W. Baxter, BMC Genetics, 21. 2020.
Here we introduce a known Drosophila melanogaster temperature sensitive embryonic lethal mutation into Bactrocera tryoni, a serious horticultural pest in Australia. A non-synonymous point mutation in the D. melanogaster gene shibire causes embryonic lethality at 29 degrees C and ... |
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Converting female mosquitoes to non-biting males with implications for mosquito controlM. V. Candy, Vet Candy, 2020.
Virginia Tech researchers have proven that a single gene can convert female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes into fertile male mosquitoes and identified a gene needed for male mosquito flight. Male mosquitoes do not bite and are unable to transmit pathogens to humans. Female mosquitoes, ... |
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FKMCD and Oxitec WebinarsOxitec Ltd, FKMCD and Oxitec, 2020.
This FKMCD - Oxitec Public Educational Webinar, our ninth, shows how Oxitec's just-add-water technology helps control the Aedes aegypti mosquito population. The second half of the webinar includes questions and answers with attendees. |
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Fear of Oxitec mosquito release growsT. Java, Florida Keys Free Press, 2020.
A local effort has emerged to exclude Key Largo from a test release of genetically modified Aedes aegypti mosquitoes planned for the spring. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District have approved a release of United Kingdom-based ... |
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A patent review on strategies for biological control of mosquito vectorK. Parihar, M. Telang and A. Ovhal, World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology, 36:23. 2020.
This paper presents a comprehensive technology overview of patent documents disclosing biological agents for mosquito control. The patent analysis revealed that comparable number of patent documents were filed in two technology categories: non-recombinant agents and genetically ... |
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Modelling the Wolbachia incompatible insect technique: strategies for effective mosquito population eliminationD. E. Pagendam, B. J. Trewin, N. Snoad, S. A. Ritchie, A. A. Hoffmann, K. M. Staunton, C. Paton and N. Beebe, BMC Biology, 18:13. 2020.
We introduce a simple Markov population process model for studying mosquito populations subjected to a Wolbachia-IIT programme which exhibit an unstable equilibrium threshold. The model is used to study, in silico, scenarios that are likely to yield a successful elimination ... |
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Strategic Approach, Advances, and Challenges in the Development and Application of the SIT for Area-Wide Control of Aedes albopictus Mosquitoes in Reunion IslandL. C. Gouagna, D. Damiens, C. F. Oliva, S. Boyer, G. Le Goff, C. Brengues, J.-S. Dehecq, J. Raude, F. Simard and D. Fontenille, Insects, 11:770. 2020.
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Combined Effects of Mating Disruption, Insecticides, and the Sterile Insect Technique on Cydia pomonella in New ZealandR. M. Horner, P. L. Lo, D. J. Rogers, J. T. S. Walker and D. M. Suckling, Insects, 11:23. 2020.
We aimed to supplement these tactics with the sterile insect technique (SIT) to further suppress the codling moth on orchards. SIT involves mass rearing and sterilizing codling moth and then releasing them onto orchards where they mate with wild insects resulting in no offspring. ... |
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Field Competitiveness of Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) Irradiated Males in Pilot Sterile Insect Technique Trials in Northern ItalyR. Bellini, M. Carrieri, F. Balestrino, A. Puggioli, M. Malfacini and J. Bouyer, Journal of Medical Entomology, 58:807-813. 2020.
Vector-borne diseases account for 17% of infectious diseases, leading to more than one million deaths each year. Mosquitoes are responsible for 90% of the casualties and alternative control methods to insecticides are urgently needed, especially against Aedes vectors. Aedes ... |
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‘A plague to be reckoned with’: UMN research creates a buzz with invasive fruit fly researchB. Most, The Minnesota Daily, 2020.
n early November, assistant professor Mike Smanski published an article about a new breakthrough in this research, demonstrating for the first time this kind of genetic engineering was possible in the common fruit fly. This shows that researchers could engineer this work into ... |
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Assessment of a Novel Adult Mass-Rearing Cage for Aedes albopictus (Skuse) and Anopheles arabiensis (Patton).H. Maïga, W. Mamai, N. S. Bimbilé Somda, T. Wallner, B. S. Poda, G. Salvador-Herranz, R. Argiles-Herrero, H. Yamada and J. Bouyer, Insects, 11:801. 2020.
Successful implementation of the sterile insect technique (SIT) against Aedes albopictus and Anopheles arabiensis relies on a continuous supply of sterile males. To meet this requirement, optimization of the mass-rearing techniques is needed. This study, therefore, aims to assess ... |
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Fighting Mosquito With GMO Mosquito: The Battle Brewing in the Florida KeysS. MacLaughlin, NBC 6 South Florida, 2020.
Scientists are a few months into an experiment to stop the invasive Aedes aegypti mosquito. Their weapon of choice? A genetically modified mosquito. But some environment advocates question the strategy. This year, the Florida Keys had an outbreak of Dengue fever, which was ... |
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Florida will release 750 million genetically modified mosquitoesS. McGlaun, Slash Gear, 2020.
Local officials in Florida have announced that they have approved 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes to be released into the environment to reduce local populations of the bloodsucking creatures. The goal of releasing genetically modified mosquitoes is to help reduce the ... |
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Genetic engineering of sex chromosomes for batch cultivation of non-transgenic, sex-sorted malesS. R. Das, M. Maselko, A. Upadhyay and M. J. Smanski, PloS Genetics, 16:11. 2020.
The field performance of Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) is improved by sex-sorting and releasing only sterile males. This can be accomplished by resource-intensive separation of males from females by morphology. Alternatively, sex-ratio biasing genetic constructs can be used to ... |
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Educating the Public on Genetically Modified MosquitoesBuckner, Eva A., UF - IFAS, 2020.
In May 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved Oxitec’s Experimental Use Permit to carry out pilot projects in the Florida Keys. Oxitec is a biotechnology company founded in 2002 out of Oxford University in the United Kingdom. They will be collaborating ... |
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FKMCD-OXITEC Mosquito ProjectFKMCD and OXITEC, Website, 2020.
The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District (FKMCD) Board of Commissioners approved the FKMCD-Oxitec Investigational Agreement for the release of Oxitec’s Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. This project will be overseen by FKMCD, the EPA and the Florida Department of Agriculture and ... |
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Florida to Release 750 Million GMO Mosquitoes in 2021Seeker, Seeker, 2020.
The U.S. EPA gave the green light to release millions of genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys in 2021 — here’s what we know. |
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Yes, Irradiated Sterile Male Mosquitoes Can Be Sexually Competitive!J. Bouyer and M. J. B. Vreysen, Trends in Parasitology, 2020.
Here, we argue that a reduction in quality of the produced sterile male insects is mostly related to the mass-rearing, handling, marking, and release processes, rather than radiation per se. |
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You should be excited that scientists are releasing 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes this yearL. Westreich, Massive Science, 2020.
GM mosquitoes are successful in reducing mosquito populations, and reducing disease spread |
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The Con Job at Mosquito Control BoardE. Russo and B. Wray, keysnews.com, 2020.
Shouldn’t there be a consensus among scholars, scientists, experts and the public that this new technology is safe? |
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Gene Drive: Modern Miracle or Environmental DisasterK. Brooks, Journal of Law, Technology and Policy, 2020.
This Note will show how gene drive technology fits imperfectly into the old regulatory framework through case studies. The Analysis will also describe how the different regulatory agencies handle similar gene drive-like organisms inconsistently, and the inherent danger of this ... |
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Can a Genetically Modified Bug Combat a Global Farm Plague?E. Nitler, Wired, 2020.
Executives from the US-owned, but UK-based, firm Oxitec and its multinational partner Bayer announced today that they have developed a fall armyworm that has a self-limiting gene introduced into the male of the species. |
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Dynamics of Wild and Sterile Mosquito Population Models with Delayed ReleasingL. M. Cai, International Journal of Bifurcation and Chaos, 30:15. 2020.
We extend the previous ODE models to the delayed releasing models in two different ways of releasing sterile mosquitos, where both constant and exponentially distributed delays are considered, respectively. By applying the theory and methods of delay differential equations, the ... |
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GMOs make war on mosquitoesStaff, Kenosha News, 2020.
Given that recent record, we were a bit surprised to read that there was a ruckus over genetically modified mosquitoes going on in the Florida Keys. |
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Why Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Won’t Come to Texas Anytime SoonC. Adams, RA News, 2020.
Talks about releasing genetically modified mosquitoes in Houston began in 2018 between Harris County and Oxitec, a United Kingdom-based company that produces sustainable technologies or transgenic methodologies to stem the impact of disease-spreading insects. Talk also began ... |
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Do Africans need genetically modified mosquitoes?genetically modified, mosquito, oxitec, autocidal, SIT, perspective, malaria, gene drive synthetic, engagement,, Mail and Guardian, 2020.
The following is an updated version of an article I wrote for the University of Michigan Risk Science Centre a while ago: |
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An accident waiting to happen: Tech company to release 750 MILLION GMO mosquitoes in Florida to fight dengue feverZ. Sky, NEWSTARGET, 2020.
Oxitec plans to release 750 million OX5034s into the Florida Keys, something that sounds like the beginning of a doomed science-fiction movie. But the most shocking thing here is the fact that Oxitec received the EPA’s approval in May. |
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Genetically-modified mosquito plan offers hope for Keys, worldP. Goodman, keynews.com, 2020.
The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District Board of Commissioners voted 4-to-1 to approve a trial using Oxitec’s second-generation genetically modified mosquitoes. I |
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The good mosquito versus the badD. Datta, Business Standard, 2020.
Starting 2021, around 750 million genetically modified (GM) Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes will be released in batches into the Florida Keys. |
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Florida Will Release 750 Genetically Modified Mosquitoes to Stop Disease SpreadA. Fahmy, verywell health, 2020.
The hope is to prevent the spread of Dengue fever, a painful virus acquired only by mosquito bite which made a reappearance in the Florida Keys in 2009. |
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Deep dive: Florida’s GM mosquito experiment aims to rewrite rules of vector-borne diseasesS. Kannan, India Today, 2020.
A pathbreaking bioengineering experiment on mosquito populations that could have massive implications for tropical malaria-affected countries like India has got underway in Florida, US. |
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Fighting mosquito-borne diseases… with mosquitoesN. Gubert and A. Baubeau, Phys Org, 2020.
For decades, researchers have scratched their heads over how to combat deadly mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue fever. |
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Bug board OKs release of genetically modified mosquitoesT. O'Hara, keynews.com, 2020.
After nearly 10 years of debate, the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District board has approved an agreement with biotech company Oxitec to conduct a test release of genetically modified mosquitoes in Monroe County as part of a mosquito limiting or eradication plan. |
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Genetically modified mosquitoes to be released in the Florida Keys to combat dengue, zika, and yellow fever.Yucatan Times, Yucatan Times, 2020.
The Florida Keys will be the scene of the first test in the United States with genetically modified Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, an alternative to insecticides and larvicides to end the transmission of diseases such as dengue, zika and yellow fever that has always been surrounded ... |
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Transgenic moths released to end one of the worst pests on the planetB. Mandalia, Pledge Times, 2020.
Today the results of the first open field experiment with another of the creations of this biotechnology company are published. It is a variant of the moth Plutella xylostella which is one of the worst agricultural pests in the world. |
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750 million genetically modified mosquitoes soon released in the wild!explica, explica, 2020.
Rather frightening mosquitoes will be released on an archipelago in Florida. The goal? Reduce the population of their more dangerous congeners who can transmit certain diseases. |
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US to Use Genetically Modified Mosquitoes to Fight Dengue FeverH. Badr, Asharq Al-Awsat, 2020.
After a decade of discussions, officials in Florida have voted to allow the first test in the United States of free-flying, genetically modified mosquitoes that kill any female offspring, as a way to fight the pests and the diseases they spread. |
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Florida Keys to Use Genetically Modified Mosquitoes to Fight DiseaseB. Lynn, Voice of America, 2020.
Officials in the Florida Keys plan to release genetically modified mosquitoes next year in an effort to fight insect-borne diseases. |
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Florida Approves Controversial Plan to Release 750 Million Genetically Modified MosquitoesD. Rakshit, Swaddle, 2020.
Authorities in Florida have approved a pilot project that will release 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes locally, in a bid to reduce the populations of mosquitoes that cause that cause dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever |
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Mutant bugs released to fight diseaseThe Day, The Day, 2020.
Authorities have approved the scheme in Florida but environmental groups are furious, calling it a “Jurassic Park experiment” that will unleash a “mutant bug” into the ecosystem. |
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More than 750 million GMO mosquitoes to be released over Florida Keys – what could go wrong?E. Huff, Natural News, 2020.
The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District (FKMCD) has given Oxitec, a corporation we have reported on in the past, permission to unleash some 750 million GMO mosquitos in Monroe County, Florida, over the next two years. |
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Florida to release genetically modified mosquitoes to prevent diseases like ZikaThe West News, The West News, 2020.
Local authorities on Tuesday gave final approval to release 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys over a two-year period, starting in 2021. |
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Genetically modified mosquitoes have been OK’d for a first U.S. test flightS. Milius, ScienceNews, 2020.
After a decade of fits and starts, officials in the Florida Keys have voted to allow the first test in the United States of free-flying, genetically modified mosquitoes as a way to fight the pests and the diseases they spread. |
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Florida Will Release Genetically Modified Mosquitoes to Fight Disease in the KeysS. Harrell, Spectrum News, 2020.
Following lengthy federal and state procedures, the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District this week approved a plan to release more than 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes in the Keys region to combat an invasive, disease-carrying species of the insect. |
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Florida is releasing 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes into the world. Here’s whyH. Schriber, Deseret News, 2020.
Florida officials plan to release 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes into the Florida Keys over the next two years as a way to prevent diseases like the Zika virus. The project will begin in 2021. The Environment Protection Agency approved the idea in May. The project ... |
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Genetically Modified Mosquitoes To Be Released In Florida KeysA. Snow, The Daily Wire, 2020.
CNN reported that the genetically modified bugs, called OX5034, have been “altered to produce female offspring that die in the larval stage, well before hatching and growing large enough to bite and spread disease.” Since it’s the female of the species that bite, they are ... |
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Release 750 Million Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Into the Wild, They SaidC. Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 2020.
Corporate scientists have received final approval from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to release hundreds of millions of genetically altered mosquitoes into the Florida Keys. The goal? To begin reining in the mosquito population, which is only expected to increase as ... |
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Florida releasing genetically modified mosquitoes to prevent diseases like ZikaN. Lanese, LiveScience, 2020.
Hundreds of millions of genetically modified mosquitoes will soon be released in the Florida Keys island chain to wipe out local populations of disease-carrying mosquitoes, according to news reports. |
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750 Million GM Mosquitoes Will Be Released in the Florida KeysL. Winter, The Scientist, 2020.
With the aim of reducing rates of the mosquito-borne illnesses yellow fever and dengue, a pilot program will release 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes into the Florida Keys in 2021, thanks to approval by the barrier islands’ Mosquito Control District Board of ... |
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Hundreds Of Millions Of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Approved For Release In USJ. Vibes, Anonymous News, 2020.
A Biotech company called Oxitec has received permission from the government to release hundreds of millions of genetically modified male mosquitoes in the Florida Keys. |
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Why Hundreds of Millions of Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes Will Soon Be Released in FloridaK. Gander, Newsweek, 2020.
Hundreds of millions of genetically engineered mosquitoes will soon be released in Florida, in a first for the U.S. On Tuesday, the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District (FKMCD) approved plans to release the insects, who do not bite, as part of a pilot project launching next ... |
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Florida to release genetically modified mosquitoes, detractors blast ‘Jurassic Park’ experimentD. Aaro, Fox News, 2020.
Local authorities on Tuesday gave final approval to release 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys over a two-year period, starting in 2021, with the hope of preventing diseases such as the Zika virus but has faced blowback and comparisons to a Steven ... |
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750 million genetically modified mosquitoes to be released across Florida KeysA. Zahid, Sky News, 2020.
Authorities have approved plans for genetically modified mosquitoes to be released across the Florida Keys from next year. British-based firm Oxitec has designed the project to test whether the altered mosquitoes are a viable alternative to pesticides to control and prevent the ... |
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750 million GM mosquitos set for release in Florida Keys.Editorial Staff, E&T, 2020.
Local authorities have approved proposals to release hundreds of millions of genetically modified (GM) modified mosquitos in Florida, in an effort to control populations of diseases spread by the organism. |
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Florida Plans to Fix Its Mosquito Problem With 750 Million More MosquitoesD. Noor, Gizmodo, 2020.
Hundreds of millions of mosquitos will soon be released in Florida. On purpose. The mosquitoes are being released as a form of pest control, but they could wreak havoc on local ecosystems. |
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Florida mosquitoes: 750 million genetically modified insects to be releasedBBC, BBC, 2020.
Local officials in Florida have approved the release of 750 million mosquitoes that have been genetically modified to reduce local populations. The aim is to reduce the number of mosquitoes that carry diseases like dengue or the Zika virus. |
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Florida OKs release of genetically modified mosquitoes in Keys to slow insect disease spreadS. Mann, Just the News, 2020.
Florida officials are authorizing a biotech company to release hundreds of millions of genetically-modified male mosquitoes into the Florida Keys to reduce future mosquito populations that spread diseases including yellow fever and malaria. |
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Florida Keys to release modified mosqutioes to fight illnessC. Anderson, Associated Press, 2020.
Sometime next year, genetically modified mosquitoes will be released in the Florida Keys in an effort to combat persistent insect-borne diseases such as Dengue fever and the Zika virus. The plan approved this week by the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District calls for a pilot ... |
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Florida to Release Millions of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Against Local Residents’ WishesN. Rice, People, 2020.
A plan to release over 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys has received final approval. According to CNN, on Tuesday, local authorities approved a plan to release the genetically modified mosquitoes in the Sunshine State's string of islands, with the ... |
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Plan to Release 750M GMO Mosquitoes Gets Go AheadR. Quinn, newser, 2020.
The plan to release the genetically modified Aedes aegypti mosquitoes received final approval from local authorities Tuesday, causing an outcry from groups opposed to what they call a "Jurassic Park experiment," CNN reports. |
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‘A Jurassic Park Experiment’: Watchdog Groups Denounce Decision to Release Genetically Modified Mosquitoes in FloridaL. Newcomb, Common Dreams, 2020.
Food safety and environmental groups Wednesday condemned a decision by officials in Florida to approve the release of 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes, a pilot project aimed at reducing the spread of mosquito-borne diseases. |
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Florida Keys to release 750M genetically modified mosquitoesD. Haynes, UPI, 2020.
Local authorities in the Florida Keys gave their approval Wednesday to a plan to release genetically modified mosquitoes to prevent the spread of dengue fever and other diseases. The Monroe County Mosquito Control District signed off on the project, which would release about 750 ... |
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To combat disease-spreading mosquitoes in the Keys, leaders vote to unleash lab bugsD. Goodhue, Miami Herald, 2020.
Florida Keys officials have voted to allow the experimental release of millions of genetically modified mosquitoes into a yet-to-be-decided area of the island chain. |
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Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Cleared for Florida Keys ReleaseJ. Kay, Bloomber Law, 2020.
Genetically engineered mosquitoes will be released in the Florida Keys in 2021 to try to reduce the population of a biting insect pest that spreads Zika, dengue fever, and yellow fever, local officials said Tuesday. |
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Keys Mosquito Control Board Approves First U.S. Trial Of Genetically Modified MosquitoesN. Klingener, WLRN, 2020.
The Florida Keys Mosquito Control Board approved a trial Tuesday of genetically modified mosquitoes on the island chain. This would be the first U.S. trial of the genetically modified Aedes aegypti mosquito, which can transmit diseases like Zika and dengue. |
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Study Could Lead to Power Over ParasiteD. Shore, , 2020.
Scientists have long had a name for a gruesome insect that feeds on live flesh of warm-blooded mammals: C. hominivorax, Latin for “man eater.” But now, they have the parasite’s number. In a paper published this week in the journal Communications Biology, researchers from ... |
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Genomic analyses of a livestock pest, the New World screwworm, find potential targets for genetic control programsM. J. Scott, J. B. Benoit, R. J. Davis, S. T. Bailey, V. Varga, E. O. Martinson, P. V. Hickner, Z. Syed, G. A. Cardoso, T. T. Torres, M. T. Weirauch, E. H. Scholl, A. M. Phillippy, A. Sagel, M. Vasquez, G. Quintero and S. R. Skoda, Nature Communications, 3:424. 2020.
We identify and analyze the expression of genes that are likely important for host-seeking behavior (chemosensory), development of larvae in open wounds in warm-blooded animals (heat shock protein, immune response) and for building transgenic strains for genetic control programs ... |
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A One-Sided Competition Mathematical Model for the Sterile Insect TechniqueA. Ben Dhahbi, Y. Chargui, S. M. Boulaaras and S. Ben Khalifa, Complexity, 2020:12. 2020.
We study a simple mathematical model describing the dynamics of a wild-type pest insects population experiencing competition from sterile insects (one-sided competition). |
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Genetically modified mosquitoes could be released in Floridawqad.com, WQAD8, 2020.
Cases of dengue fever are on the rise in the Florida Keys. One biotech company wants to release genetically modified mosquitoes for a pilot program. |
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Nix alone is sufficient to convert female Aedes aegypti into fertile males and myo-sex is needed for male flightA. Aryan, M. A. E. Anderson, J. K. Biedler, Y. M. Qi, J. M. Overcash, A. N. Naumenko, M. V. Sharakhova, C. H. Mao, Z. N. Adelman and Z. J. Tu, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 117:17702-17709. 2020.
Here, we report the generation of multiple transgenic lines that express Nix under the control of its own promoter. Genetic and molecular analyses of these lines provided insights unattainable from previous transient experiments. We show that the Nix transgene alone, in the ... |
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Why are scientists creating genetically modified mosquitoes?The Week Staff, The Week, 2020.
The Week Staff. The Week (2020). Scientists plan to release altered mosquitoes designed to sabotage the species' ability to reproduce. Is this safe? Here's everything you need to know: |
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Florida Keys delays vote on release of 750 million genetically engineered mosquitoes after public outcryD. Dukule, Friends of the Earth, 2020.
The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District (FKMCD) today delayed its vote on the proposed release of genetically engineered (GE) mosquitoes due to concerns over COVID-19. The decision to delay the vote follows public outcry and scientific dispute over the risks posed to public ... |
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Release of genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys put on holdD. Goodhue, Miami Herald, 2020.
Opponents of a plan to release millions of genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys landed a temporary win on Tuesday. |
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EPA approves field trials of genetically modified mosquitoA. Wernick, WBFO npr, 2020.
The Environmental Protection Agency has given biotech company Oxitec the go-ahead to test the effectiveness of genetically modified mosquitoes in parts of Florida and Texas. Oxitec has been developing genetically modified mosquitoes in hopes of reducing local populations of ... |
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Researchers convert female mosquitoes to nonbiting males with implications for mosquito controlVirginia Tech, ScienceDaily, 2020.
Researchers convert female mosquitoes to nonbiting males with implications for mosquito control Virginia Tech researchers have proven that a single gene can convert female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes into fertile male mosquitoes and identified a gene needed for male mosquito ... |
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On Nonlinear Pest/Vector Control via the Sterile Insect Technique: Impact of Residual FertilityM. S. Aronna and Y. Dumont, Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, 82:29. 2020.
We consider a minimalist model for the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), assuming that residual fertility can occur in the sterile male population. |
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Beyone the buzzC. Watson, The Journal Gazette, 2020.
Lately I have found I need to force myself to follow science stories about something besides the pandemic. A story I consider hopeful involves genetically modified mosquitoes; we are developing a new tool that can reduce disease and save lives. The goal is to dramatically ... |
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GMO Mosquitoes to be launched in FloridaAdministration, Editorials 360, 2020.
In June 2020, the Florida Division of Agriculture and Shopper Providers gave the go-ahead to a plan to launch thousands and thousands of genetically engineered mosquitoes within the Florida Keys this summer time to battle mosquito-borne diseases.1 The plan follows the EPA’s ... |
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Who is afraid of genetically modified mosquitoes?G. Odogwu, The PUNCH, 2020.
Genetically Modified Organisms have raised concerns in our clime, the same way they have in other countries of the world – where a clear line is drawn between the pro and the anti-GMO citizens. Nonetheless, this modern biotechnological technique is still at its infancy here. As ... |
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Mosquito district workshop focuses on Keys trialsS. Matthis, KEYSWEEKLY, 2020.
Now that the Oxitec “Friendly Mosquito” trials have been approved by the federal and state governments, it’s up to the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District to decide if, when and where to embrace the technology said to decrease the chances of mosquito-borne diseases such ... |
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Genetically modified mosquitoes to be released in Florida and TexasO. Ron, The Jerusalem Post, 2020.
A plan to release 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes in Florida and Texas has been approved, The Guardian reported. According to the plan, the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes will be released into the wild, as they contain a special protein that would kill female offspring, ... |
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Before genetically modified mosquitoes are released, we need a better EPAN. Kofler and J. Kuzma, The Boston Globe, 2020.
While the attention of the American public has rightfully been focused on the COVID-19 pandemic, its associated racial disparities, and broader issues of structural racism, the US government made a serious public health decision — one that could affect our health and our ... |
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Florida gives approval to the plan of releasing genetically modified mosquitoes.V. Dalmia, The Andoverleader, 2020.
Mosquitoes have always been a huge problem for Florida residents. They are even more problematic in the Florida Key Region. It has even a dedicated mosquito department that is assigned with the task of controlling over 40 species of mosquitoes. But as technology progresses, we ... |
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Are Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Coming To Florida?M. Taylor, Y100, 2020.
I'm not even going to lie, mosquitoes should be classified under domestic terrorism. The flying, biting bugs you can barely see wreak havoc on my life every single summer. I'm not sure if I'm allergic to them, but whenever I'm bit by them, that area of my skin swells up. It's the ... |
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The Florida Keys are one step closer to getting genetically modified mosquitoesD. Goodhue, Miami Herald, 2020.
An international biotech company is one step closer to being able to release genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services this week granted Oxitec an experimental use permit to release potentially millions of ... |
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Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Approved For Insect Population Control In The U.S.J. Blum, HUFFPOST, 2020.Genetically modified mosquitoes with the ability to prevent other mosquitoes from spreading deadly diseases may be making their way to Florida backyards in the near future. British biotech group Oxitec announced on Tuesday that the company had won both federal and state ... |
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Florida says ‘this is fine’ to release of genetically modified mosquitoesJ. K. Elliot, Global News, 2020.
That’s the question hanging over a recent decision by state regulators in Florida, which would allow the biotech company Oxitec to unleash hundreds of millions of genetically modified male mosquitoes in the Florida Keys. The lab-altered, patented insects are members of Aedes ... |
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Plan to Release GMO Mosquitoes Moves AheadA. Dier, newser, 2020.
A plan to set loose 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes in Florida and Texas will move forward despite concerns from environmentalists who liken it to a "Jurassic Park experiment." The non-biting male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes developed by British biotechnology company ... |
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Genetically engineered mosquitoes get EPA approval for Florida release despite objections from environmental groupsS. LaMotte, CNN Health, 2020.
A genetically modified male mosquito named OX5034 has received both state and federal approval to be released into the Florida Keys now through 2022, against the objection of many local residents and a coalition of environmental advocacy groups. "The administration has used ... |
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Florida Keys plans killer insect attack on disease-carrying mosquitoesP. Brinkmann, UPI, 2020.
The Florida Keys is close to adding a new weapon to help control a mosquito-borne disease -- genetically modified mosquitoes that produce dead offspring. Outbreaks of dengue fever in the Keys in recent years prompted local authorities to consider the genetically modified bugs ... |
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Genetic breakdown of a Tet-off conditional lethality system for insect population controlY. Zhao, M. F. Schetelig and A. M. Handler, Nature Communications, 11:3095. 2020.
Genetically modified conditional lethal strains have been created to improve the control of insect pest populations damaging to human health and agriculture. However, understanding the potential for the genetic breakdown of lethality systems by rare spontaneous mutations, or ... |
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Plan to release genetically modified mosquitoes in Florida gets go-aheadO. Milman, The Guardian, 2020.
A plan to release a horde of 750 million genetically modified mosqutioes in Florida and Texas is a step closer to fruition after a state regulator approved the idea, over the objections of many environmentalists. |
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Field performance of sterile male mosquitoes released from an uncrewed aerial vehicleJ. Bouyer, N. J. Culbert, A. H. Dicko, M. G. Pacheco, J. Virginio, M. C. Pedrosa, L. Garziera, A. T. M. Pinto, A. Klaptocz, J. Germann, T. Wallner, G. Salvador-Herranz, R. A. Herrero, H. Yamada, F. Balestrino and M. J. B. Vreysen, Science Robotics, 5:10. 2020.
Genetic control methods of mosquito vectors of malaria, dengue, yellow fever, and Zika are becoming increasingly popular due to the limitations of other techniques such as the use of insecticides. The sterile insect technique is an effective genetic control method to manage ... |
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EPA faces suit over plan to release genetically engineered mosquitoesR. Frazin, The Hill, 2020.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is facing a lawsuit over its approval of a plan to release genetically modified mosquitoes in Florida and Texas |
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Fact check: Genetically modified mosquitoes are cleared for release in the USA. Staver, USA Today, 2020.
The Environmental Protection Agency approved an experimental use permit May 1 that allows Oxitec to release genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys and Harris County, Texas, where Houston is located. |
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Scientists hope to release genetically-modified mosquitoesFox 13, Fox 13, 2020.
Apparently, scientists are interested in releasing genetically-modified mosquitoes in Florida in order to help battle the spread of certain diseases. |
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Scientist fight plant to release gene-hacked mosquitoes in TX, FL.D. Robitzski, Futurism, 2020.
Over the next two years, the biotech company Oxitec plans to release millions of genetically modified mosquitoes in Florida and Texas in an attempt to stop the spread of diseases like dengue and Zika. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has already approved the plan ... |
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Company Receives Permit To Release Swarm Of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes In FloridaI. Monzon, International Business Times, 2020.
A federal agency has provided a biotech company with the proper permit to release a swarm of genetically altered mosquitoes in Florida as a way to curb the spread of diseases in the area. If the company receives the additional approvals, it might begin releasing the mosquitoes ... |
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What else could 2020 bring to Florida? Genetically altered, lab bred mosquitoesJ. Haughey, The Center Square, 2020.
A British biotech company has received an experimental use permit from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to release millions of genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys this summer. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the Florida ... |
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BUZZ OFF! Swarm of MILLIONS of gene-hacked mosquitoes will be unleashed across USA – to wipe out malaria with ‘death sex’H. Pettit, The Sun, 2020.
MUTANT mosquitoes created in a lab to stop the spread of deadly diseases like malaria will be unleashed across the US this summer. The gene-hacked bugs, crafted by UK biotech company Oxitec, are designed to kill off or reduce local populations of mosquitoes by mating with ... |
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Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Cleared For Release In The USM. Horowitz, Anonymous News, 2020.
A company called Oxitec has received an experimental use permit from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to release genetically modified mosquitos into the wild. This would be the first time that such an experiment was attempted within the borders of the US, and the ... |
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Genetically modified mosquitoes could be released in Florida and Texas beginning this summer – silver bullet or jumping the gun?B. Allan, C. Stone, H. Tuten, J. Kuzma and N. Kofler, The Conversation, 2020.
On May 1, 2020, the company Oxitec received an experimental use permit from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to release millions of GM mosquitoes (labeled by Oxitec as OX5034) every week over the next two years in Florida and Texas. Females of this mosquito species, Aedes ... |
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‘Just Add Water’ GM Mosquitoes Suppress Wild Population by 95%H. Alber, , 2020.
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 ... |
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America’s Never-Ending Battle Against Flesh-Eating WormsS. Zhang, The Atlantic, 2020.
The United States Department of Agriculture undertook what would ultimately become an immense, multidecade effort to wipe out the screwworms, first in the U.S. and then in Mexico and Central America—all the way down to the narrow strip of land that is the Isthmus of Panama. The ... |
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EPA Approves Genetically Modified Mosquito Trial For Florida KeysNancy Klingener, WLRN, 2020.
A plan to test genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys has received approval from the federal government. |
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Mutant mosquitoes one step closer to release in Florida, Texas this summer. Why?K. Camero, The Charlotte Observer, 2020.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved an experimental use permit for the British biotech company Oxitec to test the modified mosquitoes in the U.S. for the first time, according to a statement from the agency |
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US EPA OKs release of GM mosquitoesA. Beer, Agrow Agribusiness, 2020.
he US EPA has granted an experimental use permit to US synthetic biology company Intrexon’s UK subsidiary, Oxitec, to test its genetically modified OX5034 Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. |
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Genetically Engineered Male Mosquitos to be Released in Florida and Other Parts of US to Curb Zika and Dengue SpreadStaff Reporter, The Science Times, 2020.
The Environmental Protection Agency has recently approved a new and controversial field test aimed at reducing their population. |
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Genetic Biocontrol – An OverviewGeneConvene Global Collaborative,, GeneConvene Global Collaborative, 2020.
This video explains what genetic biocontrol is and surveys various technologies that can be consider genetic biocontrol technologies. It offers a conceptual organization of the various technologies based on the potential of genetic biocontrol organisms to persist and spread in ... |
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Guidance Framework for Testing the Sterile Insect Technique as a Vector Control Tool against Aedes-Borne DiseasesWHO & IAEA, WHO & IAEA, 2020.
This document is intended to be a comprehensive guide for programme managers tasked with recommending a “go/no-go” decision on testing, full deployment and scale-up of the sterile insect technique (SIT) in regions of the world affected by diseases transmitted by Aedes ... |
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Can we kill the dreaded mosquito? Do we even want to?Stacey McKenna, Sierra, 2020.
As a major vector for disease, the mosquito has harmed more human beings than just about any other animal, and a changing climate is only boosting those numbers. As the range of disease-carrying species of mosquitoes expands, so does their ability to transmit the parasites and ... |
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Efficient production of male Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes enables large-scale suppression of wild populationsJ. E. Crawford, D. W. Clarke, V. Criswell, M. Desnoyer, D. Cornel, B. Deegan, K. Gong, K. C. Hopkins, P. Howell, et al., Nature Biotechnology, 38:482-492. 2020.
The range of the mosquito Aedes aegypti continues to expand, putting more than two billion people at risk of arboviral infection. The sterile insect technique (SIT) has been used to successfully combat agricultural pests at large scale, but not mosquitoes, mainly because of ... |
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Male-biased adult production of the striped fruit fly, Zeugodacus scutellata, by feeding dsRNA fpecific to Transformer-2M. A. Al Baki, M. Vatanparast and Y. Kim, Insects, 11:211. 2020.
Sterile insect release technique (SIT) is effective for eradicating quarantine insects including various tephritid fruit flies. When SIT is used for fruit flies, it is challenging to remove females from sterile males due to oviposition-associated piercing damage. This study ... |
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The value of existing regulatory frameworks for the environmental risk assessment of agricultural pest control using gene driveJ. Romeis, J. Collatz, D. C. M. Glandorf and M. B. Bonsall, Environmental Science & Policy, 108:19-36. 2020.
The application of (synthetic) gene drives is a powerful tool to control populations of insects that are agricultural pests, vectors of diseases, or a threat to biodiversity potentially leading to the local or global eradication of a species. The potential use of gene drive ... |
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Editorial Expression of Concern: Transgenic Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes Transfer Genes into a Natural PopulationB. R. Evans, P. Kotsakiozi, A. L. Costa-Da-Silva, R. S. Ioshino, L. Garziera, M. C. Pedrosa, A. Malavasi, J. F. Virginio, M. L. Capurro and J. R. Powell, Scientific Reports, 10:2. 2020.
Shortly after publication of this Article in September 2019, the Editors were alerted to concerns regarding the interpretation of the data and some of the conclusions. |
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The Buzz About Genetically Modified Mosquitoes – a podcastThe Scientist Creative Services Team, The Scientist, podcast. 2020.
Mosquito-borne diseases afflict a large portion of the world. In this month’s episode, we consider genetic methods to eradicate diseases such as Zika fever, Dengue fever, and malaria. We spoke with Omar Akbari, professor of Cell and Developmental Biology at the University of ... |
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Phased Conditional Approach for Mosquito Management Using Sterile Insect TechniqueJ. Bouyer, H. Yamada, R. Pereira, K. Bourtzis and M. J. B. Vreysen, Trends in Parasitology, 2020.
Mosquito-borne diseases represent a major threat to humankind. Recently, the incidence of malaria has stopped decreasing while that of dengue is increasing exponentially. Alternative mosquito-control methods are urgently needed. The sterile insect technique (SIT) has seen ... |
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Genetic Variation and Potential for Resistance Development to the tTA Overexpression Lethal System in InsectsK. E. Knudsen, W. R. Reid, T. M. Barbour, L. M. Bowes, J. Duncan, E. Philpott, S. Potter and M. J. Scott, G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics, Early Online:g3.400990.2020. 2020.
Release of insect pests carrying the dominant lethal tetracycline transactivator (tTA) overexpression system has been proposed as a means for population suppression. High levels of the tTA transcription factor are thought to be toxic due to either transcriptional squelching or ... |
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Genetically modified butterflies could herald a new era in crop protectionScience News,, Science News, 2020.
New study highlights successful test including field release of genetically modified butterflies. Scientists believe this success could pave the way for an effective and sustainable approach to pest control in crops. The butterfly in question is the cruciferous moth ( Plutella ... |
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World’s First Genetically Modified Moths Released to NatureM. Cage, SOMAG News, 2020.There are many insect species that harm agricultural products in the world. One of them is diamond moths. Genetically modified moths were used to control these moths, which are harmful to many plants. Plutella xylostella or also known as diamond moths; One of the most harmful ... |
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Scientists have released genetically modified mothsN. Kumar, The Times Hub, 2020.
In the US, the researchers decided to test emerging from genetic modification Diamondback moth, placing it in field conditions. The work was conducted by experts from new York, representing Cornell University. |
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GM Insects on the HorizonE. Unglesbee, Progressive Farmer, 2020.
Diamondback moths would do well to be wary of potential mates in the years to come. Scientists recently completed the first successful field testing of a genetically modified (GM) "self-limiting" insect in the U.S., using this species. When the GM male diamondback moths are ... |
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Genetic Control of MosquitoesAlphey, L., Annual Review of Entomology, 59:205-224. 2019.
Genetics can potentially provide new, species-specific, environmentally friendly methods for mosquito control. Genetic control strategies aim either to suppress target populations or to introduce a harm-reducing novel trait. Different approaches differ considerably in their ... |
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Mass-Rearing of Drosophila suzukii for Sterile Insect Technique Application: Evaluation of Two Oviposition SystemsF. Sassù, K. Nikolouli, S. Caravantes, G. Taret, R. Pereira, M. J. B. Vreysen, C. Stauffer and C. Cáceres, Insects, 10. 2019.
Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) is an invasive pest of a wide range of commercial soft-skinned fruits. To date, most management tactics are based on spraying of conventional and/or organic insecticides, baited traps, and netting exclusion. Interest has been expressed ... |
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The Competitive Mating of Irradiated Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs, Halyomorpha halys, for the Sterile Insect TechniqueD. M. Suckling, M. Cristofaro, G. Roselli, M. C. Levy, A. Cemmi, V. Mazzoni, L. D. Stringer, V. Zeni, C. Ioriatti and G. Anfora, Insects, 10. 2019.
The sterility of eggs and nymphs from gamma-irradiated male Halyomorpha halys was investigated to determine the potential for the sterile insect technique (SIT). Males irradiated at 0, 16, 24 and 32 Gy were placed with untreated virgin females, and egg sterility was determined, ... |
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Transgenic Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes Transfer Genes into a Natural PopulationB. R. Evans, P. Kotsakiozi, A. L. Costa-da-Silva, R. S. Ioshino, L. Garziera, M. C. Pedrosa, A. Malavasi, J. F. Virginio, M. L. Capurro and J. R. Powell, Scientific Reports, 9:6. 2019.
We genotyped the release strain and the target Jacobina population before releases began for >21,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Genetic sampling from the target population six, 12, and 27-30 months after releases commenced provides clear evidence that portions of the ... |
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Sex Sorting for Pest Control: It’s Raining Men!C. Lutrat, D. Giesbrecht, E. Marois, S. Whyard, T. Baldet and J. Bouyer, Trends in Parasitology, 35:649-662. 2019.
In the pursuit of better pest- and vector-control strategies, attention returns to an old proven technology, the sterile insect technique (SIT) and related insect population-suppression methods. A major obstacle for any of these approaches that involves the release of sterile ... |
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A synthetic male-specific sterilization system using the mammalian pro-apoptotic factor in a malaria vector mosquitoD. S. Yamamoto, M. Sumitani, K. Kasashima, H. Sezutsu, H. Matsuoka and H. Kato, Scientific Reports, 9:11. 2019.
We produced a transgenic mosquito line that expresses mouse Bax under the control of this testis-specific promoter. Transgenic mosquito males exhibited aberrant testes without functional sperm and complete sterility, whereas transgenic females maintained normal fecundity. Despite ... |
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Agricultural production: assessment of the potential use of Cas9-mediated gene drive systems for agricultural pest controlM. J. Scott, F. Gould, M. Lorenzen, N. Grubbs, O. Edwards and D. O’Brochta, Journal of Responsible Innovation, 5:S98-S120. 2018.
To highlight how gene drives could be useful for control of agricultural insect pests, we selected species that are pests of animals (New World screwworm), plants (spotted wing Drosophila, diamondback moth, Bemisia tabaci whitefly), or stored grains (red flour beetle). We ... |
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A secret weapon against Zika and other mosquito-borne diseasesNina Federoff, TEDxMidAtlantic, 2017.
Where did Zika come from, and what can we do about it? Molecular biologist Nina Fedoroff takes us around the world to understand Zika's origins and how it spread, proposing a controversial way to stop the virus -- and other deadly diseases -- by preventing infected mosquitoes ... |
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Area-wide Integrated Pest ManagementFood and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), International Atomic Energy Agency, 2017.
Throughout history, people have had to fight insect pests to reduce diseases, minimize food losses, protect agricultural trade or simply to avoid the nuisance of stinging, biting and buzzing bugs. Insect pest control is usually implemented locally in individual fields or ... |
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Genetic Control of Mosquitoes.Alphey, L., Annual Review of Entomology, 59:205-224. 2014.
Genetics can potentially provide new, species-specific, environmentally friendly methods for mosquito control. Genetic control strategies aim either to suppress target populations or to introduce a harm-reducing novel trait. Different approaches differ considerably in their ... |
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The Trojan female technique: a novel, effective and humane approach for pest population controlN. J. Gemmell, A. Jalilzadeh, R. K. Didham, T. Soboleva and D. M. Tompkins, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 280:20132549. 2013.
We use mathematical models to test a new twist on the SMT, using maternally inherited mitochondrial (mtDNA) mutations that affect male, but not female reproductive fitness. ‘Trojan females’ carrying suchmutations, and their female descendants, produce ... |
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Field performance of engineered male mosquitoesA. F. Harris, D. Nimmo, A. R. McKemey, N. Kelly, S. Scaife, C. A. Donnelly, C. Beech, W. D. Petrie and L. Alphey, Nature Biotechnology, 29:1034-1037. 2011.
Mass-release of sterile male mosquitoes is a promising option for controlling dengue and malaria, but it has never been shown that lab-raised transgenic males can compete effectively with their wild counterparts outside laboratory conditions. Promising results from a restricted ... |
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Field performance of engineered male mosquitoesA. F. Harris, D. Nimmo, A. R. McKemey, N. Kelly, S. Scaife, C. A. Donnelly, C. Beech, W. D. Petrie and L. Alphey, Nature Biotechnology, 29:1034-1037. 2011.
Mass-release of sterile male mosquitoes is a promising option for controlling dengue and malaria, but it has never been shown that lab-raised transgenic males can compete effectively with their wild counterparts outside laboratory conditions. Promising results from a restricted ... |
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First Anopheles arabiensis germline transformation: Toward the development of a transgenic genetic sexing strainH. C. Bossin, J. Thailayil, F. Catteruccia, J. P. Benton, A. Crisanti, M. Q. Benedict, B. G. Knols and A. S. Robinson, American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 75:66-66. 2006.
The ability to genetically engineer mosquitoes is likely to have major implications for the development and implementation of genetic control systems against mosquito disease vectors such as the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT). In particular, genetically transformed mosquito ... |
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Genetic strategies for controlling mosquito-borne diseasesF. Gould, K. Magori and Y. Huang, American Scientist, 94:238. 2006.
Malaria kills more than a million people each year, primarily children under the age of six. Dengue fever is less deadly, but an outbreak can debilitate millions of people and easily overwhelm doctors and hospitals in tropical cities. |
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Genetic strategies for controlling mosquito-borne diseasesF. Gould, K. Magori and Y. Huang, American Scientist, 94:238. 2006.
Malaria kills more than a million people each year, primarily children under the age of six. Dengue fever is less deadly, but an outbreak can debilitate millions of people and easily overwhelm doctors and hospitals in tropical cities |
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An Anopheles transgenic sexing strain for vector controlF. Catteruccia, J. P. Benton and A. Crisanti, Nature Biotechnology, 23:1414-1417. 2005.
Here we report on the development of transgenic sexing lines for the mosquito Anopheles stephensi, the principal vector of human malaria in Asia. Male mosquitoes, expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) under the control of the beta 2-tubulin promoter, are identified ... |
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History of the Sterile Insect TechniqueKlassen, W. and C. F. Curtis, Sterile Insect Technique: Principles and Practice in Area-Wide Integrated Pest Managemen, 2005:3-36.. 2005.
During the 1930s and 1940s the idea of releasing insects of pest species to introduce sterility (sterile insect technique or SIT) into wild populations, and thus control them, was independently conceived in three extremely diverse intellectual environments. The key researchers ... |
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Malaria Control with Genetically Manipulated Insect VectorsL. Alphey, C. B. Beard, P. Billingsley, M. Coetzee, A. Crisanti, C. Curtis, P. Eggleston, C. Godfray, J. Hemingway, M. Jacobs-Lorena, A. A. James, F. C. Kafatos, L. G. Mukwaya, M. Paton, J. R. Powell, W. Schneider, T. W. Scott, B. Sina, R. Sinden, S. Sink, Science, 298:119. 2002.
At a recent workshop, experts discussed the benefits, risks, and research priorities associated with using genetically manipulated insects in the control of vector-borne diseases. |
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Applications of genetic technology to mosquito rearingG. B. Craig, Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 29:89-97. 1963.
Since the development of insecticide-resistance and the consequent partial failure of the chemical approach to the control of disease vectors, interest in the biological approach has re-awakened. An aspect of the latter approach that is of great current interest is " autocidal ... |
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On the role of lethal mutants in the control of populationsR. C. Von Borstel and A. A. Buzzati-Traverso, Radioisotopes and Radiation in Entomology: Proceedings of a Symposium, Bombay, 5-9 December, 1960, 1962:273-278. 1962.
On the role of lethal. mutants in the control of populations. Population control by release of irradiated males requires that the sperm must be damaged by radiation. The type of damage induced by radiation imposes a restriction on which species may be controlled because if the ... |
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Screw-worm control through release of sterilized fliesA. H. Baumhover, A. J. Graham, B. A. Bitter, D. E. Hopkins, W. D. New, F. H. Dudley and R. C. Bushland, Journal of Economic Entomology, 48:462-466. 1955.
Screw-worms, Callitroga hominivorax (Cqrl.), did not exist in the southeastern United States until about 20 years ago, and it is probable that, if the present infestation could be eradicated, the area might be kept free of infestation through inspection of livestock shipments ... |
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Possibilities of Insect Control or Eradication Through the Use of Sexually Sterile MalesE. F. Knipling, Journal of Economic Entomology, 48:459-462. 1955.
The purpose of this paper is to consider the possibility of controlling insects by releasing sexually sterile males among the existing natural population. The principles involved will be described and the potentialities as well as the limitations of the method as we know them at ... |
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Eradication of screw-worms through release of sterilized malesR. C. Bushland, A. W. Lindquist and E. F. Knipling, Science, 122:287-288. 1955.
Although the sterilizing effect of ionizing radiations has been known for years, it is only recently that entomologists have attempted to take advantage of the phenomenon for insect control. Knipling (1) has theorized on the effects of releasing sterilized males among a normal ... |
