Keywords: Sterile insect technique (SIT)
Biotechnology-enhanced genetic controls of the global pest Drosophila suzukii
Tags: Fruit fly, Genetic biocontrol, Pest management, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Ying Yan, Hassan M.M. Ahmed, Ernst A. Wimmer, et al., Trends in Biotechnology, 2024.
Genetic control is a biological control method that introduces traits that sterilize, kill, or modify the population via intraspecific mating. Therefore, it is regarded as a species-specific and environmentally friendly management option for pest species. Spotted wing ...
Pest control gets the CRISPR treatment
Tags: Ecology, Fruit fly, Pest management, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Seydel, C., Nature Biotechnology, 2024.
In June 2024, the St. Louis–based pest control company Agragene released genetically modified fruit flies on berry farms in California and Oregon, moving the technology out of the laboratory and into contained field testing. The trial marked a milestone for a next-generation ...
Fluorescent-based sex-separation technique in major invasive crop pest, Drosophila suzukii
Tags: Fruit fly, Invasive species, Pest management, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Junru Liu, Danny Rayes, Minzhe Yang, Omar S. Akbari, bioRxiv, 2024.
Insect population biocontrol methods such as the sterile insect technique (SIT), represent promising alternatives to traditional pesticide-based control applications. To use these strategies efficiently requires scalable sex separation techniques which are currently lacking in ...
Loss-of-function in testis-specific serine/threonine protein kinase triggers male infertility in an invasive moth
Tags: CRISPR, Genetically modified organisms, Moths, Pest management, Population suppression, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Wei, Z., Wang, Y., Zheng, K. et al., Communications Biology, 7. 2024.
Genetic biocontrol technologies present promising and eco-friendly strategies for the management of pest and insect-transmitted diseases. Although considerable advancements achieve in gene drive applications targeting mosquitoes, endeavors to combat agricultural pests have been ...
Current status of the sterile insect technique for the suppression of mosquito populations on a global scale
Tags: Aedes, Arbovirus, Sterile insect technique (SIT), Vector controlBouyer, J., Infectious Diseases of Poverty, 13. 2024.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has emphasized the urgent need for alternative strategies to chemical insecticides for controlling mosquito populations, particularly the invasive Aedes species, which are known vectors of arboviruses. Among these alternative approaches, the ...
Mark–Release–Recapture Trial with Aedes albopictus (Diptera, Culicidae) Irradiated Males: Population Parameters and Climatic Factors
Tags: Aedes, Arbovirus, Sterile insect technique (SIT), Vector controlAmaro FIF, Soares P, Velo E, et al, Insects, 15. 2024.
Aedes albopictus mosquitoes spread arboviruses like dengue, Zika, or chikungunya. The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) can be used as a prevention and control tool against Ae. albopictus populations. Mark–release–recapture (MRR) trials are fundamental to estimate the size of ...
Effectiveness of Wolbachia-mediated sterility coupled with sterile insect technique to suppress adult Aedes aegypti populations in Singapore: a synthetic control study
Tags: Aedes, Incompatible insect technique, Sterile insect technique (SIT), WolbachiaBansal, Somya, et al., The Lancet Planetary Health, 8:617-628. 2024.
In this synthetic control study, we conducted a large-scale, field trial of IIT-SIT targeting Aedes aegypti among high-rise public housing estates in Singapore, an equatorial city state. Routinely collected data from a large, nationwide surveillance system of 57 990 unique ...
Optimizing and synchronizing Aedes aegypti colony for Sterile Insect Technique application: Egg hatching, larval development, and adult emergence rate
Tags: Aedes, Mosquito husbandry, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Jennifer Thieme Castellon, Solomon Kibret Birhanie, Ale Macias, Rubi Casas, Jacob Hans, Michelle Q. Brown, Acta Tropica, 259. 2024.
Mosquito Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) programs can be developed in smaller agencies through synchronization of the colony development to take advantage of the natural male early emergence. This paper examined key aspects of Ae. aegypti colony synchronization work, including egg ...
Mark–Release–Recapture (MRR) of Sterile Male Aedes albopictus (Skuse) in Sri Lanka: Field Performance of Sterile Males and Estimation of the Wild Mosquito Population Density
Tags: Dengue, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Hapugoda, Menaka, Nilmini Silva Gunawardena, Tharaka Ranathunge, Jeremy Bouyer, Hamidou Maiga, Kankanige Karunathilake, Gayan Parakrama Withanage, Indika Weerasinghe, Bazoumana B. D. Sow, and Jeevanie Harishchandra, Insects, 15:466. 2024.
Dengue is an important mosquito-borne disease in Sri Lanka. The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) is an environment-friendly and novel method that can suppress dengue vector mosquitoes in Sri Lanka. This study aimed to evaluate the field performance of sterile males and the density ...
Exploration of the potential of a boosted sterile insect technique to control fruit flies in mango orchards
Tags: Biological control, Fruit fly, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Esther Gnilane Diouf, Thierry Brévault, Saliou Ndiaye, Cyril Piou, Pest Management Science, 2024.
An innovative version of the sterile insect technique (SIT) for pest control, called boosted SIT, relies on the use of sterile males coated with a biocide to control a target wild pest population of the same species. The objective of the present study was to assess the relevance ...
Eliminating malaria vectors with precision-guided sterile males
Tags: Malaria, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Reema A. Apte, Andrea L. Smidler, James J. Pai, et al, Applied Biological Sciences, 121. 2024.
Controlling the principal African malaria vector, the mosquito Anopheles gambiae, is considered essential to curtail malaria transmission. However, existing vector control technologies rely on insecticides, which are becoming increasingly ineffective. Sterile insect technique ...
Upscaling irradiation protocols of Aedes albopictus pupae within an SIT program in Reunion Island
Tags: Sterile insect technique (SIT)Marquereau, L., Yamada, H., Damiens, D. et al., Scientific Reports, 14. 2024.
The implementation of the sterile insect technique against Aedes albopictus relies on many parameters, in particular on the success of the sterilization of males to be released into the target area in overflooding numbers to mate with wild females. Achieving consistent sterility ...
To fend off aggressive female mosquitoes, L.A. is releasing thousands of sterile males
Tags: Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT), Vector controlEvan Bush, NBC News, 2024.
In Los Angeles, those who wage war on mosquitoes are adding a weapon to their arsenal: more mosquitoes. The Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District on Thursday launched a pilot program to release tens of thousands of irradiated, lab-raised mosquitoes into the local ...
CRISPR could eradicate horrific parasite that’s killing cattle
Tags: CRISPR, Gene drive, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Kristin Houser, Freethink, 2024.
Uruguay is developing a CRISPR gene drive to eradicate the New World screwworm, a parasitic fly that kills cattle in a painful, grisly fashion. Releasing it into the wild would have risks, but if it works, it could help rid South America of this horrific agricultural pest. The ...
Protecting the peppers: Unlocking the potential of the sterile insect technique
Tags: Pest management, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Society of Chemical Industry, Phys.org, 2024.
For the first time, researchers in Canada have investigated the use of the sterile insect technique for controlling populations of the pepper weevil, Anthonomus eugenii, an economically significant crop pest in North America. The paper, published in Pest Management Science, ...
Mosquito Control releases over 100K sterile male mosquitos to combat Aedes aegypti population
Tags: Aedes, Mosquitoes, North America, Sterile insect technique (SIT)NBC2 News, 2024.
Mosquito Control releases over 100K sterile male mosquitos to combat Aedes aegypti population
CRISPR-mediated germline mutagenesis for genetic sterilization of Anopheles gambiae males
Tags: Anopheles, CRISPR, Genetic engineering, Malaria, Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Smidler, A.L., Marrogi, E., Kauffman, J. et al., Scientific Reports, 14. 2024.
Rapid spread of insecticide resistance among anopheline mosquitoes threatens malaria elimination efforts, necessitating development of alternative vector control technologies. Sterile insect technique (SIT) has been successfully implemented in multiple insect pests to suppress ...
Revolutionizing Livestock Biosecurity: Using CRISPR Technology to Combat the New World Screwworm
Tags: CRISPR, Other mammals, Pest management, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Dr. Jessica Nelson, Medriva, 2024.
The New World screwworm, a persistent parasite responsible for significant damage to the global livestock industry, may soon meet its match. Researchers at Uruguay's National Institute of Agricultural Research (INIA) have developed a gene drive using CRISPR technology to combat ...
Uruguay wants to use gene drives to eradicate devastating screwworms
Tags: CRISPR, Gene drive, Pest management, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Abdullahi Tsanni, MIT Technology Review, 2024.
On a warm, sunny day in Montevideo, Uruguay, the air is smogless and crisp. Inside a highly secured facility at the National Institute of Agricultural Research (INIA) are a sophisticated gene gun, giant microscopes, and tens of thousands of gene-edited flies, their bright blue ...
Taking the fight against disease to mosquitoes
Tags: Gene drive, Incompatible insect technique, Mosquitoes, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT), WolbachiaGregory Devine, Setopati, 2024.
In the medium term it's likely that suppression strategies involving self-limiting genetic modifications, Wolbachia infection and irradiation will be extended to a small number of our most important mosquito vectors of disease.
Biotech Mosquitoes Can Help to Regain Ground in Fight Against Malaria
Tags: Gene drive, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Malaria, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Florence Banoba, East News, 2024.
In response to the recent opinion articles that ran in the National print and online media in the last couple of days (1st and 5th February, 2024), regarding the use of GMO technology as a tool in the fight against malaria, I wish to address the writer’s broad-brush dismissal ...
Maui ‘ground zero’ for release of billions of biopesticide lab-altered mosquitoes
Tags: Incompatible insect technique, Malaria, North America, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Michael Nevradakis, LifeSite, 2024.
Up to 775,992,000 bacteria-infected mosquitoes could be released in Maui every week for the next 20 years, according to Hawaii Unites, an environmental advocacy group that last month lost its bid to require the state to conduct an environmental impact statement before allowing ...
Judge sides with Hawaii to block challenge to mosquito release plan
Tags: Birds, Incompatible insect technique, North America, Sterile insect technique (SIT), WolbachiaCandice Cheung, Courthouse News Service, 2024.
A planned program to save endemic Hawaiian birds from avian malaria by releasing thousands of biopesticide mosquitoes into Maui’s rainforest will go on, despite an attempt by an environmental nonprofit to block the project.First Circuit Court Judge John Tonaki ruled Tuesday ...
Deep orange gene editing triggers temperature-sensitive lethal phenotypes in Ceratitis capitata
Tags: Fruit fly, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Sollazzo, G., Nikolouli, K., Gouvi, G. et al., BMC Biotechnology, 24. 2024.
The Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata, is a significant agricultural pest managed through area-wide integrated pest management (AW-IPM) including a sterile insect technique (SIT) component. Male-only releases increase the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of SIT ...
Mass-Rearing Conditions Do Not Always Reduce Genetic Diversity: The Case of the Mexican Fruit Fly, Anastrepha ludens (Diptera: Tephritidae)
Tags: Sterile insect technique (SIT)Ruiz-Montoya L, Sánchez-Rosario M, López-Gómez E, Garcia-Bautista M, Canedo-Texón A, Haymer D, Liedo P, Insects, 15:56. 2024.
The application of the sterile insect technique (SIT) requires the adaptation of insects to mass-rearing conditions. It is generally accepted that this adaptation may include a reduction in genetic diversity and an associated loss of desirable characteristics for the effective ...
Mosquito makeover: Tahiti’s groundbreaking solution to disease
Tags: Aedes, Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Atutahi Potaka-Dewes, Pacific Media Network, 2024.
Mosquitoes are responsible for transmitting such diseases as dengue, malaria, zika, chikungunya, or filariosis, causing millions of deaths worldwide. French Polynesia is taking a groundbreaking initiative to address public health concerns and demonstrate a commitment to finding ...
Sex or poison? Genetic pest management in the 21st century
Tags: Mosquitoes, Pest management, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Luke Alphey, BMC Biology, 21:289. 2024.
Pests do enormous damage to human and animal health, to agriculture and to biodiversity, with mosquitoes transmitting pathogens, insect larvae eating crops or invasive rodents threatening the last island refuges of endangered birds. This commentary focuses on insects, ...
Assessing the sterility and quality of gamma-irradiated pepper weevils, Anthonomus eugenii (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), toward the development of the sterile insect technique
Tags: Biological control, Pest management, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Basso, J.V., Labbe, R. and Scott-Dupree, C., Pest Management Science, 2023.
The pepper weevil (PW), Anthonomus eugenii, is an economically significant pest of cultivated Capsicum spp. pepper crops in North America where it remains a challenge to manage because of its cryptic immature life stages. The sterile insect technique (SIT) is a genetic pest ...
Side effects of X-ray irradiation on flight ability of Cydia pomonella moth
Tags: Pest management, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Huang, S.-W., Zhang, J.-H., Wei, Z.-H., Yang, X.-M., Wang, X.-Y. and Yang, X.-Q., Pest Management Science, 2023.
The sterile insect technique (SIT) has proven to be an effective approach in managing the population of major invasive pests Our previous studies showed that irradiation of males at a dosage of 366 Gy X-rays resulted in complete sterility. However, the mating competitiveness of ...
Aerial release of Aedes aegypti male mosquitoes using an unmanned aerial vehicle: a novel control strategy
Tags: Aedes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Valdez-Delgado KM, Ríos-Delgado JC, Nettel-Cruz JA, Angulo-Kladt R, Villarreal-Treviño C., Salud Pública de México, 65. 2023.
Objective. To development of a methodology for the chilling, handling, transport, and release of male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, reared in insectary conditions to release in the field with unmanned vehicles to compete sexually with wild males in the field. Materials and methods. A ...
The Sterile Insect Technique can efficiently reduce the reproduction of the spotted wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii) in strawberry
Tags: Pest management, Sterile insect technique (SIT)B. Gard, A. Panel, A. Labbetoul, N. Bosshard, A. Xuereb, B. Cariou, A. Debelle, C. Oliva, S. Fellous, bioRxiv, 2023.
The spotted wing drosophila (SWD) Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) is a highly problematic pest in soft fruit crops. Since its introduction in Europe in 2008, no satisfying nor environment-friendly control method has emerged against this species. The sterile insect ...
Population suppression with dominant female-lethal alleles is boosted by homing gene drive
Tags: Fruit fly, Gene drive, Modeling, Pest management, Population suppression, Sterile insect technique (SIT), Synthetic biologyJinyu Zhu, Jingheng Chen, Yiran Liu, Xuejiao Xu, Jackson Champer, bioRxiv, 2023.
Methods to suppress pest insect populations using genetic constructs and repeated releases of male homozygotes have recently been shown to be an attractive alternative to older sterile insect technique based on radiation. Female-specific lethal alleles have substantially ...
Different mechanisms of X-ray irradiation-induced male and female sterility in Aedes aegypti
Tags: Aedes, Incompatible insect technique, Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT), WolbachiaZhang, H., Trueman, E., Hou, X. et al., BMC Biology, 21. 2023.
Aedes aegypti (Ae. aegypti) is the major vector that transmits many diseases including dengue, Zika, and filariasis in tropical and subtropical regions. Due to the growing resistance to chemical-based insecticides, biological control methods have become an emerging direction to ...
Effects of different diets on Aedes aegypti adults: improving rearing techniques for sterile insect technique
Tags: Sterile insect technique (SIT)Aynoanne Leandro Barbosa , Glayciane Costa Gois , Verenna Barros dos Santos , Aline Taiane de Macedo Pinto , Bianca Pires de Castro Andrade , Lucas Barbosa de Souza , Fernanda Hohana Almeida e Sá , Jair Fernandes Virginio and Mário Adriano Ávila Queiroz, Bulletin of Entomological Research, 2023.
The aim was to evaluate the effect of different energy diets available in adulthood on the longevity, dispersal capacity and sexual performance of Aedes aegypti produced under a mass-rearing system. To evaluate the effects of diets in relation to the survival of the adult male ...
Oxitec concludes GMO mosquito release phase
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Anonymous, keysnews.com, 2023.
Oxitec and the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District announced last week that the release phase during the third season of the FKMCD-Oxitec Mosquito Project has concluded for the 2023 season. Mosquito population monitoring will continue for the next several weeks.9
Current Status of the Main Olive Pests: Useful Integrated Pest Management Strategies and Genetic Tools
Tags: Biological control, Gene drive, Genetic biocontrol, Genetic engineering, Sterile insect technique (SIT)E. Lantero, B. Matallanas and C. Callejas, Applied Sciences, 13. 2023.
Mediterranean olive cultivation faces challenges in the global environmental change context. Pests and diseases caused by arthropods such as Bactrocera oleae, Prays oleae, and certain vectors of Xylella fastidiosa are expected to increase and spread in part due to this global ...
How to fight insects that transmit diseases to people without harming those who cannot?
Tags: Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Other arthropods, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Nation World News Desk, Nation World, 2023.
One way to avoid this severe environmental impact is to specifically control the population of species that cause problems. This can be done chemically by releasing hormones into the environment that prevent passage to the adult stage, or pheromones that make them believe that a ...
X-rays are as effective as gamma-rays for the sterilization of Glossina palpalis gambiensis Vanderplank, 1911 (Diptera: Glossinidae) for use in the sterile insect technique
Tags: Other arthropods, Sterile insect technique (SIT)B. A. Kaboré, A. Nawaj, H. Maiga, O. Soukia, S. Pagabeleguem, M. S. G. Ouédraogo/Sanon, M. J. B. Vreysen, R. L. Mach and C. J. de Beer, Scientific Reports, 13:17633. 2023.
An area-wide integrated pest management strategy with a sterile insect technique (SIT) component requires a radiation source for the sterilisation of male insects. Self-contained gamma irradiators, which were exclusively used in past SIT programmes, are now facing increasing ...
Mosquito Embryo Microinjection
Tags: Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)R. A. Harrell, Cold Spring Harbor Protocols, 2023.
Genetically modified (GM) mosquitoes are an important tool in the fight against mosquito-borne disease, both indirectly through their use in research investigating host–pathogen interaction, mosquito olfaction, and anthropomorphic behavior and in future direct uses for ...
Next-generation genetic sexing strain establishment in the agricultural pest Ceratitis capitata
Tags: Fruit fly, Genetically modified organisms, Sterile insect technique (SIT)S. Davydova, J. Liu, N. Kandul, P., W. E. Braswell, O. Akbari, S. and A. Meccariello, bioRxiv, 2023.09.29.560088. 2023.
Tephritid fruit fly pests pose an increasing threat to the agricultural industry due to their global dispersion and a highly invasive nature. Here we showcase the feasibility of an early-detection SEPARATOR sex sorting approach through using the non-model Tephritid pest, ...
Effect of 2 sex-sorting time schedules on SIT facility management
Tags: Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. Malfacini, A. Puggioli, F. Balestrino, M. Carrieri, M. L. Dindo and R. Bellini, Journal of Insect Science, 23:9. 2023.
Improvements are needed in mosquito mass-rearing to effectively implement the sterile insect technique (SIT). However, managing this technique is challenging and resource intensive. SIT relies on mass rearing, sterilization, and release of adult males to reduce field populations. ...
Development and characterization of microsatellite markers for the tsetse species Glossina brevipalpis and preliminary population genetics analyses
Tags: Other arthropods, Sterile insect technique (SIT)F. Gstöttenmayer, P. Moyaba, M. Rodriguez, F. C. Mulandane, H. N. Mucache, L. Neves, C. De Beer, S. Ravel, T. De Meeûs, R. L. Mach, M. J. B. Vreysen and A. M. M. Abd-Alla, Parasite, 30:34. 2023.
Tsetse flies, the vectors of African trypanosomes are of key medical and economic importance and one of the constraints for the development of Africa. Tsetse fly control is one of the most effective and sustainable strategies used for controlling the disease. Knowledge about ...
Influence of environmental conditions on mass rearing parameters of tsetse flies at the Bobo-Dioulasso insectary (Burkina Faso): retrospective study
Tags: Other arthropods, Sterile insect technique (SIT)K. S. M. Dera, B. A. Kaboré, S. Pagabeleguem, A. A. Ouedraogo, A. I. Toé, M. Ira, A. M. G. Belem and G. M. S. O. Sanou, International Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences, 17:1020-1032. 2023.
With the goal of eradicating tsetse flies and trypanosomiasis in Africa, several control methods have been developed. One of this is the biological control through the application of the sterile insect technique (SIT) as a part of an area-wide integrated pest management. This ...
Effect of the Sterile Insect Technique and Augmentative Parasitoid Releases in a Fruit Fly Suppression Program in Mango-Producing Areas of Southeast Mexico
Tags: Biological control, Fruit fly, Sterile insect technique (SIT)J. Cancino, P. Montoya, F. O. Gálvez, C. Gálvez and P. Liedo, Insects, 14. 2023.
The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), by means of sterile male releases of Anastrepha ludens (Loew), coupled with Augmentative Biological Control (ABC), by releasing the parasitoid Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Ashmead), was evaluated in a commercial mango production area for one ...
Genetically modified Brit mosquitoes could stamp out malaria with Bill Gates’ backing
Tags: Anopheles, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Malaria, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)K. Williams, Mirror, 2023.
British super mosquitoes could be deployed worldwide to eradicate malaria. Billionaire Bill Gates is backing the British effort to send the country’s mosquitoes across the world in an effort to stamp out the deadly disease. This would work because the super mozzies, created by ...
EPA Authorized Release Of 2 Billion More GMO Mosquitos
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)T. Mateescu, Health Thoroughfare, 2023.
A biotechnology company called Oxitec has produced genetically modified mosquitoes named GE mosquitoes. These mosquitoes are being released in the U.S. for a real-world experiment. Oxitec is using Aedes aegypti (A. aegypti) mosquitoes for this experiment. This species is known to ...
Suppression Trial through an Integrated Vector Management of Aedes albopictus (Skuse) Based on the Sterile Insect Technique in a Non-Isolated Area in Spain
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)C. Tur, D. Almenar, M. Zacarés, S. Benlloch-Navarro, I. Pla and V. Dalmau, Insects, 14. 2023.
In recent years, Aedes albopictus (Skuse, 1984) has expanded its distribution globally due to its high ecological plasticity. This expansion has increased the population’s susceptibility to contracting diseases such as dengue, Zika, and chikungunya, among others, which are ...
Effects of γ-Irradiation on Mating Behavior of Red Palm Weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier, 1790) (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae)
Tags: Invasive species, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. Cristofaro, C. Fornari, F. Mariani, A. Cemmi, M. Guedj, M. L. Ben Jamaa, M. Msaad Guerfali, E. Tabone, R. Castellana, R. Sasso and S. Musmeci, Insects, 14. 2023.
Red palm weevil (RPW) Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier 1790) is a highly invasive species originating from Southeast Asia and Melanesia. Over the past 30 years, this alien pest has spread extensively in the Middle East and the Mediterranean basin. Its endophagous larvae feed on ...
Cost-effectiveness of Precision Guided SIT for Control of Anopheles gambiae in the Upper River Region, The Gambia
Tags: Anopheles, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Malaria, Sterile insect technique (SIT)G. William, R. Robyn, M. Agastya, M. S. C. Hector, S. Andrea, Z. David, G. I. Patrick, D. Umberto, Alessandro, M. M. John and A. Omar, bioRxiv, 2023.07.20.549762. 2023.
Precision-guided sterile insect technique (pgSIT) is an extremely promising vector control intervention that can reduce and potentially eliminate the unacceptable malaria burden, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Here we explore the cost effectiveness of using this approach in ...
Eliminating Malaria Vectors with Precision Guided Sterile Males
Tags: Anopheles, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)L. S. Andrea, A. A. Reema, J. P. James, L. C. Martha, C. Sanle, M. Agastya, M. S. C. Hector, A. Igor, M. M. John and S. A. Omar, bioRxiv, 2023.07.20.549947. 2023.
Controlling the principal African malaria vector, the mosquito Anopheles gambiae, is considered essential to curtail malaria transmission. However existing vector control technologies rely on insecticides, which are becoming increasingly ineffective. Sterile insect technique ...
Bukedi sub-region to receive new high-level malaria prevention technology
Tags: Africa, Anopheles, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Watchdog Uganda, WATCHDOG, 2023.
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni together with a group of scientists have agreed to start with Bukedi Sub-region as a pilot area for a new mosquito radiation sterilisation technology aimed at preventing malaria. “Let us start with the Bukedi Sub- region to pilot this method ...
Population suppression by release of insects carrying a dominant sterile homing gene drive targeting doublesex in Drosophila
Tags: CRISPR, Fruit fly, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Modeling, Population suppression, Sex distorter, Sterile insect technique (SIT), Synthetic biologyC. Weizhe, G. Jialiang, L. Yiran and C. Jackson, bioRxiv, 2023.07.17.549342. 2023.
Gene drive alleles, which bias their own inheritance and increase in frequency, show great promise for blocking disease transmission or directly suppressing pest populations. The most common engineered drive system is the CRISPR homing drive, which converts wild-type alleles to ...
CRISPR’d Mosquitoes With All-Male Offspring Could Help Eradicate Malaria
Tags: Anopheles, Genetic biocontrol, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)V. B. Ramirez, Singuarity Hub, 2023.
Though at least one vaccine for malaria is in use, it remains one of the deadliest diseases in the world. Almost half of the world’s population lives in areas where malaria transmission occurs, and an estimated 619,000 people died of the disease in 2021. Worse yet, the vast ...
Optimization of Dieldrin Selection for the Genetic Sexing of Aedes albopictus
Tags: Sterile insect technique (SIT)S. Scussel, B. Gaudillat, J. Esnault, Q. Lejarre, M. Duployer, D. Messaoudi, P. Mavingui, P. Tortosa and J. Cattel, Insects, 14. 2023.
The mass production of mosquitoes at an industrial scale requires efficient sex separation, which can be achieved through mechanical, genetic or artificial intelligence means. Compared with other methods, the genetic sexing approach offers the advantage of limiting costs and ...
New Study Improves Sterile Insect Technique for Mosquitoes
Tags: Aedes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)E. Ricciuti, Entomology Today, 2023.
As Florida health authorities work to respond to an ever-growing cadre of invasive tropical mosquitoes, a research team has sharpened an environmentally friendly tool increasingly deployed against a dangerous species that invaded the state two centuries ago. The mosquito is Aedes ...
The Effect of X-ray Irradiation on the Fitness and Field Adaptability of the Codling Moth: An Orchard Study in Northeast China
Tags: Sterile insect technique (SIT)J. Zhang, S. Huang, S. Zhao, X. Wang, X. Yang, H. Zhao, P. Gao, Y. Li and X. Yang, Insects, 14. 2023.
The codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.), is an invasive agricultural pest of pome fruits and walnuts in China that threatens the apple industry in the Loess Plateau and Bohai Bay; it has developed resistance to many insecticides. Sterile insect technique (SIT) combined with ...
New Genetic Technology Developed to Halt Malaria-Spreading Mosquitoes
Tags: Anopheles, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. Aguilera, UC San Diego Today, 2023.
Fortunately, scientists are developing safe technologies to stop the transmission of malaria by genetically editing mosquitoes that spread the parasite that causes the disease. Researchers at the University of California San Diego led by Professor Omar Akbari’s laboratory have ...
Scientists are Gene-Editing Flies to Fight Crop Damage
Tags: Agriculture, Fruit fly, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Genetically modified organisms, Sterile insect technique (SIT)E. Mullin, WIRED, 2023.
In greenhouses in Oregon last month, researchers with the US Department of Agriculture began testing one such approach: sterilized male flies. The gene-edited bugs, made by St. Louis–based biotech company Agragene, are meant to suppress wild fly populations. The idea is that if ...
Nuclear Technique Used in Europe for First time to Battle Yellow Fever Mosquito Found in Cyprus
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)IAEA, IAEA, 2023.
Cyprus this month released the first batch of 100,000 sterile mosquitos to begin the implementation of a Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) project testing the use of a nuclear technique to eradicate an invasive species of ...
Developing methods for chilling, compacting, and sterilizing adult Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) and comparing mating competitiveness between males sterilized as adults versus pupae for sterile male release
Tags: Aedes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)D. A. Tussey, R. Morreale, D. O. Carvalho, S. Stenhouse, A. M. Lloyd, D. F. Hoel and D. A. Hahn, Journal of Medical Entomology, 2023.
The yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti L., can transmit several pathogens responsible for human diseases. With insecticide resistance development becoming a concern, alternative control strategies are needed for Ae. aegypti. Sterile insect technique (SIT) is an increasingly ...
Effects of radiation on the fitness, sterility and arbovirus susceptibility of a Wolbachia-free Aedes albopictus strain for use in the Sterile Insect Technique
Tags: Aedes, Sterile insect technique (SIT), WolbachiaD. J. Zhang, S. Yan, H. Yamada, Y. Wu, G. Wang, Q. D. Feng, D. Paerhande, H. Maiga, J. Bouyer, J. Qian, Z. D. Wu and X. Y. Zheng, Pest Management Science, 2023.
BACKGROUND: The sterile insect technique (SIT) is a green and species-specific insect pest control technique that suppresses target populations by releasing factory-reared, radio-sterilized males into the wild. Once released, it is important to be able to distinguish the released ...
Sequence and expression analysis of the spermatogenesis-specific gene cognates, wampa and Prosα6T, in Drosophila suzukii
Tags: Sterile insect technique (SIT)Q. Xia, K. Tariq, D. A. Hahn and A. M. Handler, Genetica, 2023.
The sterile insect technique (SIT) is a highly effective biologically-based method for the population suppression of highly invasive insect pests of medical and agricultural importance. The efficacy of SIT could be significantly enhanced, however, by improved methods of male ...
How aggressive interactions with biomimetic agents optimize reproductive performances in mass-reared males of the Mediterranean fruit fly
Tags: Fruit fly, Mosquito husbandry, Sterile insect technique (SIT)D. Romano, G. Benelli and C. Stefanini, Biological Cybernetics, 2023.
Mass-rearing procedures of insect species, often used in biological control and Sterile Insect Technique, can reduce the insects competitiveness in foraging, dispersal, and mating. The evocation of certain behaviours responsible to induce specific neuroendocrine products may ...
Molecular detection of reproductive symbionts and parthenogenesis experiments in Tuta absoluta from Argentina: facing potential for sustainable and specific pest control strategies
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Incompatible insect technique, Other Symbionts, Sterile insect technique (SIT), WolbachiaC. Cagnotti, C. Conte, J. Kramar, S. Lanzavecchia and S. López, Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, 2023.
Tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), is a key pest of tomato crops. Specific and environmentally friendly control strategies against this pest, such as the sterile insect technique (SIT), are under development and sexual reproduction has emerged ...
CRISPR-based gene editing of non-homologous end joining factors biases DNA repair pathway choice toward single-strand annealing in Aedes aegypti
Tags: Aedes, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified organisms, Incompatible insect technique, Replicator/site directed nuclease, Sterile insect technique (SIT)K. Chae, J. M. Overcash, C. Dawson, C. Valentin, H. Tsujimoto, K. M. Myles and Z. N. Adelman, Current Research in Biotechnology, 5:100133. 2023.
To maintain genome stability, eukaryotic cells orchestrate DNA repair pathways to process DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) that result from diverse developmental or environmental stimuli. Bias in the selection of DSB repair pathways, either non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) or ...
Oxitec Launches New Technology Program to Develop a Friendly™ Solution for the World’s Most Damaging Cattle Tick
Tags: Other arthropods, Other mammals, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Oxitec Ltd, Oxitec Press Release, 2023.
Oxitec Ltd, the leading developer of insect-based biological solutions to control pests that transmit disease, destroy crops and harm livestock, today announced the launch of development of a targeted, biological Friendly™ solution for the world’s most devastating cattle ...
Near-infrared imaging for automated tsetse pupae sex sorting in support of the sterile insect technique
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Other arthropods, Sterile insect technique (SIT)R. Argilés-Herrero, G. Salvador-Herranz, A. G. Parker, M. Zacarés, A. G. Fall, A. M. Gaye, A. Nawaz, P. Takáč, M. J. B. Vreysen and C. J. de Beer, Parasite, 30. 2023.
Tsetse flies are the cyclical vectors of African trypanosomes and one of several methods to manage this vector is the sterile insect technique (SIT). The ability to determine the sex of tsetse pupae with the objective to separate the sexes before adult emergence has been a major ...
Scientists in Tahiti prepare to release sterilized mosquitoes to control dengue
Tags: Aedes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)F. Fouque, WHO TDR, 2023.
Scientists in Tahiti have launched a research project to test the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) in French Polynesia, where the impact of the technology on dengue transmission will be measured for the first time. This is part of a global research initiative supported by TDR, (the ...
Editorial: Genetic control of insect pest species—achievements, challenges, and perspectives
Tags: Gene drive, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified organisms, Incompatible insect technique, Sterile insect technique (SIT)I. Häcker, D. Bartsch, A. Choo and F. Marec, Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 11. 2023.
Genetic control is a type ofbiological control and a promising approach to regulate insect pest populations in a species-specific manner. It is based on targeting the reproductive capacity of the target pest species to reduce population size to non-critical levels. The best known ...
The Role of Symbiont-Targeted Strategies in the Management of Pentatomidae and Tephritidae Pests under an Integrated Vision
Tags: Biological control, Incompatible insect technique, Pest management, Sterile insect technique (SIT)E. Gonella and A. Alma, Agronomy, 13. 2023.
The interaction between insects and gut bacterial symbionts is, nowadays, regarded as an important element in the implementation of pest management, in consideration of the urgent need for sustainable alternatives to insecticide use. In this framework, a major tool is symbiotic ...
Standardization of sterile insect technique (SIT) for melon fruit fly
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. Math and Y. K. Kotikal, Journal of Entomological Research, 47:16-20. 2023.
Sterile technique was standardized for melon fly, Zeugodacus cucurbitae Coquillett under laboratory conditions. The Adult emergence of B. cucurbitae was significantly highest (96.12%) without radiation to the pupae. Among different radiation doses, 30 Gy resulted in significantly ...
Targeting Sex Determination to Suppress Mosquito Populations
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Mosquitoes, Population suppression, Sterile insect technique (SIT), Vector controlL. Ming, P. K. Nikolay, S. Ruichen, Y. Ting, D. B. Elena, J. B. Daniel, A. Igor, M. S. C. Hector, Z. Yinpeng, A. D. Nicolas, M. L. YuMin, P. S. Matthew, M. Craig, M. M. John and S. A. Omar, bioRxiv, 2023.04.18.537404. 2023.
Each year, hundreds of millions of people are infected with arboviruses such as dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya, and Zika, which are all primarily spread by the notorious mosquito Aedes aegypti. Traditional control measures have proven insufficient, necessitating innovations. ...
Evaluating the Effect of Irradiation on the Densities of Two RNA Viruses in Glossina morsitans morsitans
Tags: Other arthropods, Sterile insect technique (SIT)C. K. Mirieri, A. M. M. Abd-Alla, V. I. D. Ros and M. M. van Oers, Insects, 14. 2023.
Tsetse flies are cyclic vectors of Trypanosoma parasites, which cause debilitating diseases in humans and animals. To decrease the disease burden, the number of flies is reduced using the sterile insect technique (SIT), where male flies are sterilized through irradiation and ...
The Effect of the Sterile Insect Technique on Vibrational Communication: The Case of Bagrada hilaris (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)
Tags: Biological control, Sterile insect technique (SIT)C. Peccerillo, C. E. Mainardi, R. Nieri, J. M. Fouani, A. Cemmi, M. Cristofaro, G. Anfora and V. Mazzoni, Insects, 14. 2023.
The painted bug, Bagrada hilaris, is an agricultural pest in its original areas (Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East), and it has recently been recorded as an invasive species in southwestern part of the US, Chile, Mexico, and two islands in the Mediterranean basin. Its ...
Gamma-radiation of Glossina palpalis gambiensis revisited: effect on fertility and mating competitiveness
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Other arthropods, Sterile insect technique (SIT)S. Pagabeleguem, O. Koughuindida, E. W. Salou, G. Gimonneau, A. I. Toé, B. A. Kaboré, K. S. M. Dera, H. Maïga, A. M. G. Belem, G. M. S. Sanou/Ouédraogo, M. J. Vreysen and J. Bouyer, Parasite, 30:8. 2023.
African animal trypanosomoses are vector-borne diseases that cause enormous livestock losses in sub-Saharan Africa, with drastic socio-economic impacts. Vector control in the context of an area-wide integrated pest management program with a sterile insect technique component ...
Improved Quality Management of the Indian Meal Moth, Plodia interpunctella (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) for Enhanced Efficacy of the Sterile Insect Technique
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. M. Hasan, M. A. Hossain and C. G. Athanassiou, Insects, 14. 2023.
The sterile insect technique (SIT) is considered an environmentally friendly, autocidal control tactic to manage insect pests. This work dealt with the improvement of quality management of the Indian meal moth Plodia interpunctella (Hübner) for enhanced efficacy of the SIT. The ...
Groundbreaking Partnership to Combat Dengue Mosquito in the Republic of the Marshall Islands Will Deploy Oxitec Friendly™ Aedes aegypti Solution
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Oxitec, Oxitec.com, 2023.
The Republic of the Marshall Islands has selected Oxitec’s Friendly™ Aedes aegypti solution for a new pilot intervention to control the disease-spreading invasive Aedes aegypti mosquito. The project is a partnership between the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Pacific ...
Additive Effect of Releasing Sterile Insects Plus Biocontrol Agents against Fruit Fly Pests (Diptera: Tephritidae) under Confined Conditions
Tags: Biological control, Fruit fly, Sterile insect technique (SIT)P. 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 ...
Paternity Analyses for the Planning of SIT Projects against the Red Palm Weevil
Tags: Sterile insect technique (SIT)S. Belvedere, S. Arnone, M. Cristofaro, A. La Marca and A. De Biase, Insects, 14. 2023.
The red palm weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus is an invasive pest from southeastern Asia and Melanesia that has spread widely across the Middle East and the Mediterranean Basin over the last 30 years. Its endophagous larvae cause huge amounts of damage to several palm tree ...
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 Chad
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Other arthropods, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. 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, ...
Identification and functional analysis of Cochliomyia hominivorax U6 gene promoters
Tags: CRISPR, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Sterile insect technique (SIT)R. Novas, T. Basika, M. E. Williamson, P. Fresia, A. Menchaca and M. J. Scott, Insect Molecular Biology, 2023.
The New World screwworm, Cochliomyia hominivorax, is an obligate parasite, which is a major pest of livestock. While the sterile insect technique was used very successfully to eradicate C. hominivorax from North and Central America, more cost-effective genetic methods will likely ...
The sex pheromone heptacosane enhances the mating competitiveness of sterile Aedes aegypti males
Tags: Aedes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)L.-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 ...
CRISPR-based genetic control strategies for insect pests
Tags: CRISPR, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Y. Yan, R. A. Aumann, I. Hacker and M. F. Schetelig, Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 22:651-668. 2023.
Genetic control strategies such as the sterile insect technique have successfully fought insect pests worldwide. The CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) technology, together with high-quality genomic resources obtained in more and more species, ...
Galapagos to receive male mosquitoes for vector control in Ecuador
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Sterile insect technique (SIT)A. 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 ...
Genomic and cytogenetic analysis of the Ceratitis capitata temperature-sensitive lethal region
Tags: Fruit fly, Sterile insect technique (SIT)G. Sollazzo, G. Gouvi, K. Nikolouli, R. A. Aumann, H. Djambazian, M. A. Whitehead, P. Berube, S.-H. Chen, G. Tsiamis, A. C. Darby, J. Ragoussis, M. F. Schetelig and K. Bourtzis, G3-Genes Genomes Genetics, 13. 2023.
Genetic sexing strains (GSS) are an important tool in support of sterile insect technique (SIT) applications against insect pests and disease vectors. The yet unknown temperature-sensitive lethal (tsl) gene and the recently identified white pupae (wp) gene have been used as ...
Satellite Rearing of Aedes Mosquito Eggs: Synchronized Empirical Test of a Novel Mass Rearing Model
Tags: Aedes, Incompatible insect technique, Sterile insect technique (SIT), WolbachiaK. L. Dobson, K. Blore, J. A. Henke, K. Y. Hung, T. Morgan, T. Posey, S. Sun, O. Sypes, N. P. Tremblay and S. L. Dobson, J Am Mosq Control Assoc, 39:12-17. 2023.
Mosquito suppression strategies based on "rear and release" of male mosquitoes are attracting renewed interest from governments, municipalities, and private businesses. These include irradiation-based sterile insect technique, Wolbachia-based technologies, and genetic ...
Development of transgenic corn planthopper Peregrinus maidis that express the tetracycline transactivator
Tags: Agriculture, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)A. A. Patil, W. Klobasa, D. Espinoza-Rivera, O. Baars, M. D. Lorenzen and M. J. Scott, Insect Molecular Biology, 32:363-375. 2023.
Abstract The corn planthopper, Peregrinus maidis, is a vector of several maize viruses and is consequently a significant agricultural pest in many tropical and subtropical regions. As P. maidis has developed resistance to insecticides, the aim of this study was to develop ...
Will new genetic engineering tech finally eliminate malaria?
Tags: Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Malaria, Sterile insect technique (SIT)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 ...
From the Lab to the Field: Long-Distance Transport of Sterile Aedes Mosquitoes
Tags: Aedes, Mosquito husbandry, Sterile insect technique (SIT)H. 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 ...
White-Eyed Fruit Flies: How Improvements in Gene Editing Could Aid in Pest Managemen
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified organisms, Sterile insect technique (SIT)C. 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 ...
When less is more: accounting for overcompensation in mosquito SIT projects
Tags: Aedes, Incompatible insect technique, Sterile insect technique (SIT)J. 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 ...
How CRISPR could help save crops from devastation caused by pests
Tags: Agriculture, Gene drive, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)E. F. Merchant, MIT Technology Review, 2023.
Researchers are now looking to add cutting-edge technology to California’s anti-Pierce’s arsenal, by changing the genome of the glassy-winged sharpshooter so that it can no longer spread the bacterium. Such a solution is possible thanks to CRISPR gene-editing technology, ...
Imperial startup Biocentis to develop genetic tech to control harmful insects
Tags: Agriculture, Gene drive, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)D. 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 ...
Joint FAO/IAEA Coordinated Research Project on Mosquito Handling, Transport, Release and Male Trapping Methods in Support of SIT Application to Control Mosquitoes
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, Incompatible insect technique, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. 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 ...
Effects of gamma radiation on the vector competence of Aedes aegypti (diptera: Culicidae) to transmit Zika virus
Tags: Aedes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)E. 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 ...
Sterility of Aedes albopictus by X-ray Irradiation as an Alternative to γ-ray Irradiation for the Sterile Insect Technique
Tags: Aedes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)L.-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. ...
Biotech company released 2.4 billions GM Mosquitoes in two parts of the U.S
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)C. 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 ...
Gene drive designs for efficient and localisable population suppression using Y-linked editors
Tags: Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Modeling, Population suppression, Sex distorter, Sterile insect technique (SIT)R. 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 ...
Survival-Larval Density Relationships in the Field and Their Implications for Control of Container-Dwelling Aedes Mosquitoes
Tags: Aedes, Incompatible insect technique, Sterile insect technique (SIT)K. 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 ...
Mating Competitiveness of Irradiated Lobesia botrana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in Male-Only and Both Sex Release Strategies under Laboratory Cage Conditions
Tags: Moths, Sterile insect technique (SIT)G. 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 ...
Assessing the efficacy of male Wolbachia-infected mosquito deployments to reduce dengue incidence in Singapore: study protocol for a cluster-randomized controlled trial
Tags: Aedes, Incompatible insect technique, Sterile insect technique (SIT), WolbachiaJ. 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. ...
East Maui project hopes mosquito v. mosquito mating battle will save endangered birds
Tags: Biodiversity/Conservation, Birds, Incompatible insect technique, Invasive species, Malaria, Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)K. Cerizo, MAUINOW, 2022.
Good news in the fight against vector-borne diseases
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)K. Magori, 2022.
At the turn of the century, several research groups attempted to apply modern genetic methodologies to achieve similar outcomes without the need for irradiation and the resulting fitness costs. Luke Alphey and his colleagues at Oxford University developed a dominant lethal ...
A mass rearing cost calculator for the control of Culex quinquefasciatus in Hawaiʻi using the incompatible insect technique
Tags: Culex, Incompatible insect technique, Sterile insect technique (SIT)A. 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 ...
Oxitec’s mosquitoes are getting “friendly” with California
Tags: Aedes, North America, Oxitec, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)L. Patrick, The Sun Gazette, 2022.
Biotech company Oxitec is buzzing around Visalia, with the hopes of releasing their genetically engineered mosquitoes in Tulare County. Oxitec has one more hurdle to jump over in order to release their “friendly” Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in Tulare County, and that’s to gain ...
Does severe hypoxia during irradiation of Aedes aegypti pupae improve sterile male performance?
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)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 ...
Developing radiation-based sterile insect technique (SIT) for controlling Aedes aegypti: identification of a sterilizing dose
Tags: Aedes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)C. 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. ...
Turns Out Fighting Mosquitoes With Mosquitoes Actually Works
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Oxitec, Self limiting, South/Central America, Sterile insect technique (SIT)E. Mullin, Wired, 2022.
In the Brazilian city of Indaiatuba, an effort is underway to eliminate these pests before they have a chance to spread illness. The weapon: more Aedes aegypti mosquitoes—but ones genetically engineered to kill their own kind. Made by British biotechnology firm Oxitec, the ...
Calif. Legislature bites back at GE mosquito releases
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)L. 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 ...
A sterile insect technique pilot trial on Captiva Island: defining mosquito population parameters for sterile male releases using mark–release–recapture
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Sterile insect technique (SIT)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 ...
Genetically modified mosquitoes cut the insect’s number by 96 per cent
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. 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 ...
Zombie Deer and the Scientists Behind the War on the ‘Man Eater’
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified organisms, Sterile insect technique (SIT)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 ...
Combating Mosquito-Borne Diseases with CRISPR
Tags: CRISPR, Dengue, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Malaria, Sterile insect technique (SIT)N. 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 ...
Quality control traceability during the packing and release process of Ceratitis capitata for sterile insect technique
Tags: Fruit fly, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Y. 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 ...
Fact Check: Bill Gates’ genetically modified mosquitoes are responsible for mosquito-borne viruses in Florida and are part of the next planned pandemic.
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)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 ...
Modified mosquito releases to fight dengue fever, chikungunya or yellow fever
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT), WolbachiaSewell, 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 ...
Life-history traits of a fluorescent Anopheles arabiensis genetic sexing strain introgressed into South African genomic background
Tags: Anopheles, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Malaria, Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT), Vector controlN. 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 ...
Oregon State University professor releases destructive moths, wasps into orchards
Tags: Sterile insect technique (SIT)E. 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 ...
A confinable female-lethal population suppression system in the malaria vector, Anopheles gambiae
Tags: Anopheles, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Malaria, Modeling, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)A. L. Smidler, J. J. Pai, R. A. Apte, H. M. Sánchez C, R. M. Corder, E. J. Gutiérrez, N. Thakre, I. Antoshechkin, J. M. Marshall and O. S. Akbari, bioRxiv, 2022.08.30.505861. 2022.
Malaria is among the world’s deadliest diseases, predominantly affecting sub-Saharan Africa, and killing over half a million people annually. Controlling the principal vector, the mosquito Anopheles gambiae, as well as other anophelines, is among the most effective methods to ...
Genetic Tools for Integrated Management of Pests on Honeybees in the Tropics
Tags: CRISPR, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Other arthropods, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. Pattabhiramaiah, S. Mallikarjunaiah and D. Brueckner, Genetic Methods and Tools for Managing Crop Pests, 2022.
The Asian honeybee is endemic to Asia where it has been used for honey production and pollination services from time immemorial. They are integral to modern agricultural productivity and to survival and vitality of natural ecosystems. However, recent declines in populations and ...
CRISPR, an eco-friendly technology, may detect crop pests
Tags: Fruit fly, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)W. 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 ...
Precision Guided Sterile Males Suppress Populations of an Invasive Crop Pest
Tags: Agriculture, Fruit fly, Genetic biocontrol, Population suppression, Sterile insect technique (SIT)N. 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) ...
CRISPR-based technology targets global crop pest
Tags: Agriculture, Fruit fly, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)University 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 ...
Effect of Wolbachia Infection and Adult Food on the Sexual Signaling of Males of the Mediterranean Fruit Fly Ceratitis capitata
Tags: Fruit fly, Incompatible insect technique, Sterile insect technique (SIT), WolbachiaG. 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 ...
Sterility of Cydia pomonella by X ray irradiation as an alternative to gamma radiation for the sterile insect technique
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Moths, Sterile insect technique (SIT)J.-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 ...
Robust control strategy by the Sterile Insect Technique for reducing epidemiological risk in presence of vector migration
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Modeling, Sterile insect technique (SIT)P.-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 ...
The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District & Oxitec Announce Launch of Next Phase of Ground-Breaking Project
Tags: Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Population modification/replacement, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Oxitec, 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 ...
Manipulating Insect Sex Determination Pathways for Genetic Pest Management: Opportunities and Challenges
Tags: Gene drive, Genetic biocontrol, Oxitec, Population suppression, Sterile insect technique (SIT)A. 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 ...
The AalNix3&4 isoform is required and sufficient to convert Aedes albopictus females into males
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Population suppression, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Y. 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 ...
Selective targeting of biting females to control mosquito-borne infectious diseases
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Population suppression, Sterile insect technique (SIT), Transmission distortion, X chromosomeB. 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 ...
Current Status of Mosquito Handling, Transporting and Releasing in Frame of the Sterile Insect Technique
Tags: Aedes, Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)J. 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 ...
Inside the Plan to Release Life-Saving Mosquitoes
Tags: Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)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 ...
Combined Trojan Y Chromosome Strategy and Sterile Insect Technique to Eliminate Mosquitoes: Modelling and Analysis
Tags: Modeling, Sex distorter, Sterile insect technique (SIT)J. 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 ...
Optimization of Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) Mass Rearing through Cost-Effective Larval Feeding
Tags: Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. 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 ...
Reply to: Assessing the efficiency of Verily’s automated process for production and release of male Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes
Tags: Aedes, Incompatible insect technique, Sterile insect technique (SIT), WolbachiaJ. 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 ...
Assessing the efficiency of Verily’s automated process for production and release of male Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes
Tags: Aedes, Incompatible insect technique, Sterile insect technique (SIT), WolbachiaJ. 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 . ...
Strategies to Mitigate Establishment under the Wolbachia Incompatible Insect Technique
Tags: Cytoplasmic incompatibility, Genetic biocontrol, Incompatible insect technique, Population suppression, Sterile insect technique (SIT), WolbachiaS. 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 ...
Quality Control and Mating Performance of Irradiated Glossina palpalis gambiensis Males
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Other arthropods, Sterile insect technique (SIT)K. 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 ...
Elimination of a closed population of the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, through releases of self-limiting male mosquitoes
Tags: Aedes, Asia, Dengue, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)P. 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 ...
Setting the world’s deadliest animal to self-destruct
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)A. 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 - ...
State of Florida approves release of millions of genetically modified mosquitoes
Tags: North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)H. Crawford, FIRSTCOAST NEWS, 2022.
The state of Florida has given the green light to Oxitec, a U-K biotechnology company, to release millions of genetically modified mosquitoes in Monroe County starting this Spring. It’s a controversial pilot program that began in the Florida Keys in 2021 to evaluate the ...
Genetically Modified Mosquitoes May Protect The World From Disease
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)J. 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, ...
Brit firm sparks fury after ‘releasing genetically modified mosquitoes’ into wild
Tags: Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)C. 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 ...
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 Mexico
Tags: Aedes, Incompatible insect technique, Mosquito husbandry, Sterile insect technique (SIT), WolbachiaA. 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 ...
First U.S. Open-Air Test of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Deemed a Success
Tags: Field trials, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)S. 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 ...
Genetically modified mosquitoes for controlling vector-borne diseases? Successful trial gives hope
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Sterile insect technique (SIT)T. 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 ...
Release of genetically modified mosquitoes created to fight disease a success: Biotech firm
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Sterile insect technique (SIT)C. 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 ...
Tests of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Prove Positive
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Sterile insect technique (SIT)R. 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 ...
Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Work as Intended
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. 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 ...
Biotech firm announces results from first US trial of genetically modified mosquito
Tags: Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)E. Waltz, Nature, 2022.
Researchers have completed the first open-air study of genetically engineered mosquitoes in the United States. The results, according to the biotechnology firm running the experiment, are positive. But larger tests are still needed to determine whether the insects can achieve the ...
The sterile insect technique is protected from evolution of mate discrimination
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Modeling, Population suppression, Resistance, Sterile insect technique (SIT)J. 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 ...
Potential Adverse Effects of GE Mosquitoes Unknown
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)B. 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 ...
The plan to release genetically engineered mosquitoes in California
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. 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 ...
Genetically-Modified Mosquitos Could Soon Be Released in California
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Sterile insect technique (SIT)A. 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 ...
Genetically Modified Mosquitoes May Be Released in California, Experts Express Concern
Tags: Arbovirus, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Z. 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 ...
Will genetic modification of mosquitoes take a bite out of insects’ population?
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Sterile insect technique (SIT)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 ...
An army of genetically engineered mosquitoes is about to be released
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. 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 ...
California’s first genetically modified mosquitoes may soon be released
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Sterile insect technique (SIT)A. 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 ...
In California, an army of genetically engineered mosquitoes awaits release. Will it backfire?
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Sterile insect technique (SIT)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 ...
Federal Government Approves Release of Millions of Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes in California
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Sterile insect technique (SIT)A. 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 ...
Billions of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Are Set to Descend on California and Florida This Summer
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Sterile insect technique (SIT)J. 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 ...
Genetically modified mosquitoes, a potential antidote to deadly diseases
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Sterile insect technique (SIT)TRTWorld, 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 ...
Comparison of Ground Release and Drone-Mediated Aerial Release of Aedes aegypti Sterile Males in Southern Mexico: Efficacy and Challenges
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)C. 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 ...
Genetic Stability and Fitness of Aedes aegypti Red-Eye Genetic Sexing Strains With Pakistani Genomic Background for Sterile Insect Technique Applications
Tags: Aedes, Arbovirus, Dengue, Sterile insect technique (SIT), Vector controlM. 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 ...
Why a U.S. Company Plans to Release 2.4 Billion Genetically Modified Mosquitoes
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. 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 ...
US poised to release 2.4bn genetically modified male mosquitoes to battle deadly diseases
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Sterile insect technique (SIT)G. 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 ...
Millions of genetically engineered mosquitoes are here to protect us
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. 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 ...
Field Suppression of Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) (Drosophila suzukii Matsumura) Using the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT)
Tags: Fruit fly, Genetic biocontrol, 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 ...
A scourge of genetically modified mosquitoes could be unleashed in California
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Sterile insect technique (SIT)J. 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 ...
An agent-based model to simulate the boosted Sterile Insect Technique for fruit fly management
Tags: Sterile insect technique (SIT)E. 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 ...
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 literature
Tags: Ecology, Incompatible insect technique, Policy, Regulation, Risk and safety, Sterile insect technique (SIT)J. 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 ...
Billions of GE Mosquitoes May Soon Be Released in California and Florida
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Sterile insect technique (SIT)A. 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 ...
Evaluation of Additional Drosophila suzukii Male-Only Strains Generated Through Remobilization of an FL19 Transgene
Tags: Fruit fly, Genetically modified organisms, Sterile insect technique (SIT)A. Yamamoto, A. K. Yadav and M. J. Scott, Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 10. 2022.
Drosophila suzukii (D. suzukii) (Matsumura, 1931; Diptera: Drosophilidae), also known as spotted wing Drosophila, is a worldwide pest of fruits with soft skins such as blueberries and cherries. Originally from Asia, D. suzukii is now present in the Americas and Europe and has ...
California’s first lab-grown mosquitoes may take flight—stirring controversy
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Sterile insect technique (SIT)L. 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 ...
Fall armyworms with offspring-killing gene tested on farms in Brazil
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Moths, Oxitec, South/Central America, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. 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 ...
Genetically modified mosquitoes kill their own offspring
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Sterile insect technique (SIT)C. 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 ...
Combining two Genetic Sexing Strains allows sorting of non-transgenic males for Aedes genetic control
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)C. 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 ...
Millions Of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes To Be Set Loose In US
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Sterile insect technique (SIT)H. 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 ...
Florida Begins Release of Genetically Altered Mosquitoes to Prevent Spread of Zika
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Entrepreneur 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 ...
2 Billion Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Have Been Approved For Release In Florida And California
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Sterile insect technique (SIT)J. 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 ...
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 Dengue
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Sterile insect technique (SIT)R. 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 ...
2 billion genetically modified mosquitos are about to be released in the US
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Sterile insect technique (SIT)J. 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 ...
2 Billion Genetically Altered Mosquitoes Will Be Released in Fla. and Calif. to Fight Disease
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Sterile insect technique (SIT)A. 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 ...
Genetically modified mosquitoes could be tested in California soon
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Sterile insect technique (SIT)S. 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 ...
Why millions of genetically modified mosquitoes could be released across US
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Sterile insect technique (SIT)J. 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 ...
Genetically Modified Mosquitoes May Be Released in Fla and Calif
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Sterile insect technique (SIT)R. 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 ...
2 Billion Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Cleared for Release in California and Florida
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Sterile insect technique (SIT)E. 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 ...
Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Set to Be Released in California and Florida
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Sterile insect technique (SIT)K. 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 ...
No Sting in the Tail for Sterile Bisex Queensland Fruit Fly (Bactrocera tryoni Froggatt) Release Programs
Tags: Fruit fly, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)O. 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 ...
Proposed moquito release for Tulare County draws concern
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Sterile insect technique (SIT)E. 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 ...
Millions of genetically modified mosquitoes may soon be buzzing in Florida and California. Here’s why.
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Sterile insect technique (SIT)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 ...
‘Halt this nightmare immediately’: EPA approves release of genetically-engineered mosquitoes
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Sterile insect technique (SIT)J. 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) ...
Genetically Engineered Mosquito Imminent Mass Release Ignores Science, Public Health and Environmental Risks
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Sterile insect technique (SIT)H. 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 ...
GMO mosquitoes set for release in California to quell disease
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. Renda, Courthouse News Service, 2022.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved the experimental use of genetically engineered mosquitoes in California and Florida to reduce the populations of invasive mosquitoes that carry a host of infectious diseases like Zika and dengue fever. “With mosquito and ...
New tech fights fall armyworm by letting offspring die
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Moths, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)V. Ouma, Sci Dev Net, 2022.
Scientists have developed a new technology that could control the devastating fall armyworm crop pest by releasing genetically-controlled males that suppress populations as subsequent offspring cannot survive, a study says. The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, which was ...
Increased biting rate and decreased Wolbachia density in irradiated Aedes mosquitoes
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, Incompatible insect technique, Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT), WolbachiaR. 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 ...
Adult mosquito predation and potential impact on the sterile insect technique
Tags: Aedes, Ecology, Risk and safety, Sterile insect technique (SIT)N. 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 ...
Quality Control Methods for Aedes albopictus Sterile Male Transportation
Tags: Aedes, Invasive species, Mosquito husbandry, Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)G. 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 ...
piggyBac-based transgenic RNAi of serine protease 2 results in male sterility in Hyphantria cunea
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)X. 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 ...
Genetically engineered insects with sex-selection and genetic incompatibility enable population suppression
Tags: Fruit fly, Genetic biocontrol, Genetic incompatibilities, Incompatible insect technique, Sterile insect technique (SIT)A. 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 ...
Could Sterile Aedes albopictus Male Releases Interfere with Aedes aegypti Population in Reunion Island?
Tags: Aedes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)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 ...
Self-limiting fall armyworm: a new approach in development for sustainable crop protection and resistance management
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Moths, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)C. 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 ...
Nuclear technique cuts mosquito numbers in Cuban trial
Tags: Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. 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 ...
Effects of Sterile Males and Fertility of Infected Mosquitoes on Mosquito-Borne Disease Dynamics
Tags: Aedes, Modeling, Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)X. 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, ...
The prince, the mayor, and the U.S. fish that ate Japan
Tags: Aedes, Fish, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Invasive species, Modeling, Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)C. 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 ...
Introgression of the Aedes aegypti red-eye genetic sexing strains into different genomic backgrounds for sterile insect technique applications
Tags: Aedes, Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)A. 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 ...
Integrated control of Aedes albopictus in Southwest Germany supported by the Sterile Insect Technique
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)N. 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 ...
Intervention of Modern Genetic Tools for Managing Insect Pests of Fruit Crops
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Incompatible insect technique, Sterile insect technique (SIT)G. S. Miglani, S. Singh, Z. Li and R. K. Sandhu, Genetic Methods and Tools for Managing Crop Pests, 2022.
Merits and demerits of select modern genetic tools as sterile insect technique, repressible dominant lethal, engineering insect pests, transgenic crops, primary resistance management, gene silencing RNA interference, genome-editing-based methods, autocidal insect control ...
Temporal Viability of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus Eggs Using Two Hygroscopic Substances as Preservatives under a Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) Program in Southern Mexico
Tags: Aedes, Mosquito husbandry, Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)E. 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 ...
Three Decades of Malaria Vector Control in Sudan: The Plausible Role of Sterile Insect Technique (SIT)
Tags: Anopheles, 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 ...
Perspectives into Genetic Manipulations for Control of Dengue Vector (Aedes aegypti Linnaeus, 1762) with Reference to Progress in Indian Experiments
Tags: Aedes, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Incompatible insect technique, Sterile insect technique (SIT)R. 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 ...
Aedes Control Using Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) in Malaysia
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Sterile insect technique (SIT)W. 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 ...
Genetic Improvements to the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) for the Control of Mosquito Population
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)P. 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 ...
Field Trials of Gene Drive Mosquitoes: Lessons from Releases of Genetically Sterile Males and Wolbachia-infected Mosquitoes
Tags: Field trials, Gene drive synthetic, Incompatible insect technique, Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT), WolbachiaJ. 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 ...
Arthropods of Medical Importance: Need for Genetic and Other Innovative Vector Control Technologies, with Emphasis on Eco-biosocial and Environmental Considerations.
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Incompatible insect technique, Mosquitoes, Policy, Risk and safety, Stakeholder engagement, Sterile insect technique (SIT), WolbachiaB. 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 ...
Genetically Modified and other Innovative Vector Control Technologies
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Incompatible insect technique, Mosquitoes, Policy, Risk and safety, Stakeholder engagement, Sterile insect technique (SIT), WolbachiaB. 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 ...
Oxitec wraps mosquito trials for the season
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)T. O'Hara, Keynews.com, 2021.
The private bio-tech company Oxitec has wrapped up its test release of genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys
Genetic Control in Historical Perspective: The Legacy of India’s Genetic Control of Mosquitoes Unit
Tags: Asia, Genetic biocontrol, History, Sterile insect technique (SIT)R. 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 ...
How Israelis help the world fight mosquito-borne diseases
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)A. 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 ...
No, genetically engineered mosquitoes aren’t about to be released in Berkeley
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)K. 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 ...
In Real Life: GMOsquitoes
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Newsy, 2021.
The release of genetically modified mosquitoes in Florida gives hope of reducing the spread of disease while causing concerns among some citizens.
The economic value of genetically engineered mosquitoes as a Malaria control strategy depends on local transmission rates
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Malaria, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)K. 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 ...
New molecular genetic techniques: regulatory and societal considerations
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Incompatible insect technique, Policy, Regulation, Risk and safety, Risk assessment, Stakeholder engagement, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Nielsen, 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) ...
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 programme
Tags: Biological control, Fruit fly, Pest management, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Liedo, 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 ...
AREA-WIDE INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT: Development and Field Application
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Incompatible insect technique, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Hendrichs, 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 ...
Combined sterile insect technique and incompatible insect technique: concept, study design, experience and lessons learned from a pilot suppression trial in Thailand
Tags: Aedes, Cytoplasmic incompatibility, Incompatible insect technique, Sterile insect technique (SIT), WolbachiaKittayapong, 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 ...
Barriers and facilitators of area-wide management including sterile insect technique application: The example of Queensland fruit fly
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Incompatible insect technique, Policy, Stakeholder engagement, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Mankad, 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 ...
Putting the sterile insect technique into the modern integrated pest management toolbox to control the codling moth in Canada
Tags: Moths, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Nelson, 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 ...
Ecology, behaviour and area-wide control of the floodwater mosquito Aedes sticticus, with potential of future integration of the sterile insect technique
Tags: Aedes, Incompatible insect technique, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Lundstrom, 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 ...
Area-wide management of mediterranean fruit fly with the sterile insect technique in South Africa: New production and management techniques pay dividends
Tags: Africa, Fruit fly, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Venter, 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 ...
The suppression of the False Codling Moth in South Africa using an AW-IPM approach with a SIT component
Tags: Africa, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)N. Boersma, AREA-WIDE INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT: Development and Field Application, 2021.
The false codling moth, Thaumatotibia leucotreta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), is native to subSaharan Africa, where it infests various commercial, and wild, fruit-bearing plants. This major pest is not present in the Americas, Europe, and Asia, and therefore has ...
Major phase of Florida Keys GMO mosquito release complete, company says
Tags: Aedes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)D. 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 ...
Evaluation of Transgenic Aedes aegypti L. Strain in India: A Friendly Mosquito
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)P. 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 ...
Historical perspective and new avenues to control the myiasis-causing fly Cochliomyia hominivorax in Uruguay.
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)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 ...
The drone, the tool of the future to combat its spread
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Sterile insect technique (SIT)T. 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 ...
Malaria modeling and optimal control using sterile insect technique and insecticide-treated net
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Malaria, Modeling, Population suppression, Sterile insect technique (SIT)L. 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 ...
Oxitec Announces Ground-breaking Commercial Launch of Its Friendly™ Aedes aegypti Solution in Brazil
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, South/Central America, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Oxitec, 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 ...
Temperature-Inducible Precision-Guided Sterile Insect Technique
Tags: CRISPR, Fruit fly, Sterile insect technique (SIT)N. 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 ...
Investigation of Developmental Stage/Age, Gamma Irradiation Dose, and Temperature in Sterilization of Male Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) in a Sterile Insect Technique Program
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)B. 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 ...
Plan for California’s Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Draws Fire
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)T. Baltz, Bloomberg Law, 2021.
A U.K.-based biotech company’s proposal to release genetically engineered mosquitoes in California as a disease-control measure is prompting criticism that the program could create unnatural consequences. Oxitec says it would unleash safe, non-biting male mosquitoes to reduce ...
Life Table of Bactrocera zonata (Saunders) (Diptera: Tephritidae) for Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) in Mauritius
Tags: Africa, Sterile insect technique (SIT)R. 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 ...
Predicting the spread and persistence of genetically modified dominant sterile male mosquitoes
Tags: Anopheles, Gene drive synthetic, Modeling, Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)A. 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 ...
Novel Sterile Insect Technology Program Results in Suppression of a Field Mosquito Population and Subsequently to Reduced Incidence of Dengue
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Population suppression, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Lisiane de Castro Poncio, Filipe Apolinário dos Anjos, Deborah A de Oliveira, Débora Rebechi, et al., The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 224:1005-1014. 2021.
There is a steady rise in the global incidence of Aedes-borne arbovirus disease. It has become urgent to develop alternative solutions for mosquito vector control. We developed a new method of sterilization of male mosquitoes with the goal to suppress a local Aedes aegypti ...
Mosquitoes Sterilized by CRISPR Powered Precision System
Tags: Aedes, CRISPR, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)A. 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 ...
New precision-guided sterile insect technique designed to control disease-spreading mosquitoes
Tags: Aedes, CRISPR, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)E. 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 ...
Genetic engineering tech promises to sterilize disease-spreading mosquitoes
Tags: Aedes, CRISPR, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)B. 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 ...
Genetic Engineering Technology Promises To Sterilize Disease-Spreading Mosquito Populations
Tags: Aedes, CRISPR, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)D. 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,” ...
New Technology Designed to Genetically Control Disease-spreading Mosquitoes
Tags: Aedes, CRISPR, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. 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 ...
Suppressing mosquito populations with precision guided sterile males
Tags: Aedes, CRISPR, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. 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 ...
Genetically Modified Mosquitoes — What’s The Real Story?
Tags: Aedes, Gene editing, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)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 ...
UF/IFAS Researchers Explain Science Behind Genetically Modified Mosquitoes
Tags: Aedes, Gene editing, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)PCT 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 ...
New Way to Reduce Diseases Spreading Through Mosquitos
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Dr 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 ...
Gene Editing Could Render Mosquitos Infertile
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)U.S. Army DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory Public Affairs, U.S. Army, 2021.
Sterile males and females can synergistically suppress wild pests targeted by sterile insect technique
Tags: Modeling, Population genetics/dynamics, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Y. 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 ...
Genetically Modified Mosquitoes
Tags: Aedes, Gene editing, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Mosquitoes, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)E. 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 ...
A Monte Carlo study to investigate the feasibility to use the Moroccan panoramic irradiator in sterile insect technique programs
Tags: Fruit fly, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)A. 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 ...
Oxitec eyes California for its next GM mosquito pilot projec
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)J. 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 ...
Oxitec Advances Process to Bring Friendly™ Mosquito Technology to California to Help Government Agencies Protect Public Health
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Oxitec, 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 ...
Transgenic expression of Nix converts genetic females into males and allows automated sex sorting in Aedes albopictus
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, Mosquitoes, Population suppression, Sterile insect technique (SIT)C. 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 ...
Sex separation of Aedes spp. mosquitoes for sterile insect technique application: a review
Tags: Cytoplasmic incompatibility, Genetic biocontrol, Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT), WolbachiaB. 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 ...
Using Moderate Transgene Expression to Improve the Genetic Sexing System of the Australian Sheep Blow Fly Lucilia cuprina
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Y. 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 ...
Yes, genetically modified mosquitoes do exist, but they don’t bite and aren’t harmful to humans
Tags: Dengue, Mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)E. Jones and M. Chamberlin, WKYC Studios, 2021.
In 2021, Oxitec, a biotechnology company that develops genetically modified insects that safely and sustainably control pests that spread disease, damage crops and harm livestock across the globe, partnered with the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District (FKMCD) to evaluate the ...
The Possible Role of Microorganisms in Mosquito Mass Rearing
Tags: Biological control, Genetic biocontrol, Mosquito husbandry, Sterile insect technique (SIT)L. 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 ...
Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) and Its Applications
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)K. 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 ...
Unique effort underway to control deadly mosquitos in Florida Keys
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)K. 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 ...
Improvement of the Mass-Rearing Protocols for the South American Fruit Fly for Application of the Sterile Insect Technique
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)T. 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 ...
Comparative response to post-production process of two Anastrepha ludens strains: Application in the sterile insect technique
Tags: Fruit fly, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)J. 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 ...
Effect of the timing of pupal irradiation on the quality and sterility of oriental fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) for use in Sterile Insect Technique
Tags: Fruit fly, Genetic biocontrol, Mosquito husbandry, Sterile insect technique (SIT)T. 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 ...
Remating in Ceratitis capitata sterile males: Implications in sterile insect technique programmes
Tags: Fruit fly, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. 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 ...
A transgenic female killing system for the genetic control of Drosophila suzukii
Tags: Fruit fly, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. 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 ...
Why Flight Testing is an Important Step in Sterile Insect Technique
Tags: Sterile insect technique (SIT)E. 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 ...
Why Are Gates and Pentagon Releasing GMO Mosquitoes in Florida Keys?
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)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 ...
Genetically Modified Mosquitoes; ‘Truth Like Oil’ Novel
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Here 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.
Temperature-Inducible Precision Guided Sterile Insect Technique
Tags: CRISPR, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)N. 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 ...
Area-Wide Integrated Management of a Glossina palpalis gambiensis Population from the Niayes Area Of Senegal: A review of operational research in support of a phased conditional approach
Tags: Other arthropods, Population suppression, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. J. B. Vreysen, M. T. Seck, B. Sall, A. G. Mbaye, M. Bassene, A. G. Fall, M. Lo and J. Bouyer, AREA-WIDE INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT:, 2021.
In 2005, the Government of Senegal initiated a project entitled "Projet de lutte contre les glossines dans les Niayes" (Tsetse control project in the Niayes) with the aim of creating a zone free of Glossina palpalis gambiensis in that area. The project received technical and ...
The First Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Have Just Been Released in The US
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Admin, 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 ...
Bill Gates Releasing Genetically Modified Mosquitoes in Florida? Here’s the Whole Story
Tags: Dengue, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. 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 ...
Mutant mosquitoes carrying ‘death gene’ released as ‘bio-engineered’ insects terrify
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)J. 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 ...
Genetically Altered Mosquitoes Target Deadly Dengue Fever and Zika
Tags: Aedes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)R. 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 ...
Mosquitoes are deadly pests, genetically-modified mosquitoes could help stop disease
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)T. 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 ...
A Novel Genetic Sexing Strain of Anastrepha Ludens for Cost-Effective Sterile Insect Technique Applications: Improved Genetic Stability and Rearing Efficiency
Tags: Fruit fly, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)E. 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 ...
Genetic engineering may help control disease-carrying mosquitoes
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Anonymous, 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 ...
Suppression of female fertility in Aedes aegypti with a CRISPR-targeted male-sterile mutation
Tags: Aedes, CRISPR, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)J. 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. ...
Oxitec takes on growing cattle tick challenges
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Annonymous, 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 ...
Pest reduction with female killers and sterile males
Tags: Fruit fly, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)L. 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 ...
Sterilizing skeeters using CRISPR/Cas9
Tags: Aedes, Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)H. 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 ...
Florida Environmental Group Says GMO Mosquitoes Fall Short on Scientific Rigor
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)C. 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 ...
Sterile Insect Technique: Successful Suppression of an Aedes aegypti Field Population in Cuba
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)R. 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 ...
Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Take Flight to Fight Invasive Species in Florid
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)T. 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 ...
Genetically modified mosquitoes may help scientists swat dreaded midge
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)W. 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 ...
British Firm Develops ‘Friendly’ Fall Armyworm To Save Crops
Tags: Moths, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)J. 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 ...
Bliotech firm behind CRISPR mosquitoes is working on other gene-hacked creatures
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Moths, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)D. 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. ...
The U.S.’s first open-air genetically modified mosquitoes have taken flight
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)S. 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 ...
Use of genetically modifed mosquitoes to minimize the burden of diseases casused by mosquitoes in South Texas.
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)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 ...
Monster Mosquito–Why the Technology of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes is Dangerous and Should Be Stopped Worldwide
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)B. 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 ...
Florida releases genetically modified mosquitoes in hopes to reduce spread of disease
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)A. 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 ...
Why Florida is releasing genetically modified mosquitoes
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. 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 ...
Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Have Come to the U.S. Will They Work?
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)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 ...
Bill Gates finances the creation of transgenic mosquitoes
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Explica.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 ...
Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Released In US For First Time To Combat Disease
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)J. 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 ...
Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Released In Florida ‘Jurassic Park Experiment’
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)D. Richardson, UNILAD, 2021.
Mosquitos are not only annoying but they can carry disease in their bites. In response to this, a company called Oxitec has genetically modified male mosquitos to pass on a killswitch to females. It is hoped that these genetically modified pests will help stop the transmission of ...
Gravitas: Genetically modified mosquitoes arrive in Florida
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)P. 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'
Reengineered mosquitoes released in Florida pilot program
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)S. 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 ...
First genetically modified mosquitoes released in US
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)N. 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 ...
Bill Gates-backed startup releases millions of genetically modified mosquitoes
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)ENTREPRENEUR 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 ...
First US Field Test of GM Mosquitoes Begins in Florida
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)C. 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 ...
The first transgenic mosquitoes were releaseed in the United States.
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)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 ...
The Bill Gates Corporation, Backed by Bill Gates, Releases Thousands of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)T. 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 ...
Sterile Insect Technique Programme against Mediterranean Fruit Fly in the Valencian Community (Spain)
Tags: Fruit fly, Genetic biocontrol, Pest management, Sterile insect technique (SIT)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, ...
Next gen insect control
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified organisms, Mosquitoes, Moths, North America, Oxitec, South/Central America, Sterile insect technique (SIT)E. Unglesbee, Progressive Farmer, 2021.
Dubbed "self-limiting" insects by their makers, a UK-based biotechnology company called Oxitec, these insects are genetically modified (GM) with an inserted gene that permits only male offspring to survive. Once released into a pest community, the GM insects gradually lower the ...
Stable isotopes for reliable identification of wild and mass-reared Queensland fruit flies in sterile insect technique programs
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)B. 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 ...
Genetically modified mosquitos: Biohacking for disease prevention.
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)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 ...
First genetically modified mosquitoes released in the United States
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)E. 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 ...
Oxitec releases first genetically modified mosquitoes in U.S.
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)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 ...
Armyworm meets Friendly moth
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Moths, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. 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 ...
Genetically modified mosquitoes have landed in the Keys. Here’s what you need to know
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)G. 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 ...
Genetically modified mosquitoes | Connect the Dots
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)thv11, THV11, 2021.
This is a local TV story from Arkansas of the Oxitec trial being conducted in Florida.
‘Home to GMO Mosquitoes?!’ Florida Unleashes a Billion Lab Grown Mosquitoes
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Anonymous, 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 ...
The Release of 1 Billion Exterminator Mosquitoes Has Begun
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)D. 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 ...
First-ever US release of genetically modified mosquitoes begins in Florida Keys
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)S. 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 ...
The first genetically modified mosquitoes released in the U.S. to buzz in the Florida Keys
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)K. 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 ...
A Billion Lab-Grown Mosquitos Are Being Released and People Are Freaking Out
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)V. 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 ...
The mosquito-bite fight begins
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)F. 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 ...
Nearly 144K GMO Mosquitoes to be Released in South Florida: What We Know
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)J. 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 ...
Nation’s first trial of genetically modified mosquitoes starts in Florida Keys
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)S. 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.
Florida Unleashing Thousands of Mosquitoes
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Anonymous, 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.
GMO mosquitoes to be released in Florida Keys
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)NBC 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 ...
Nearly 150,000 Gene-Hacked Mosquitoes to Be Unleashed in Florida
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)S. 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 ...
Genetically modified mosquito larvae to be released in Florida Keys
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)E. 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 ...
Florida set to release swarms of GMO mosquitoes as residents decry ‘criminal experiment’ by Bill Gates-backed biotech
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)rt 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 ...
“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 2019
Tags: Africa, Anopheles, Genetic biocontrol, Malaria, Sterile insect technique (SIT)P. 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 ...
BUZZ OFF Florida residents blast pest control ‘TERRORISTS’ over plans to unleash a BILLION mutant mosquitoes in the Keys
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)J. 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 ...
Florida to release a billion genetically modified mosquitoes and people are worried
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)B. 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 ...
Thousands of genetically modified mosquitoes being released in Florida
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)T. 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, ...
Halt This Nightmare’: Alarm as Florida Set to Begin Release of Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)J. 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 ...
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’
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)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. ...
Coalition Against GMO Mosquito Condemns Release of Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)GMO 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 ...
Nation’s First Trial Of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Starts In Florida Keys
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)N. 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 ...
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 dangerous
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)J. 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 ...
Development of Sterile Insect Technique for Control of the European Grapevine Moth, Lobesia botrana, in Urban Areas of Chile
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Mosquito husbandry, Sterile insect technique (SIT)G. 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 ...
UK biotech firm’s 750 mn GM mosquitoes will mate with females off Florida, sow a deadly gene
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)S. 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 ...
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 mosquitoes
Tags: Africa, Anopheles, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. 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 ...
Florida to release genetically modified mosquitoes to fight disease
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)K. 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 ...
Dengue fever and Zika The first genetically modified mosquitoes are released in Florida to fight disease
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. 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 ...
Oxitec Receives Landmark Biosafety Approval for New Fall Armyworm Control Solution
Tags: Moths, Oxitec, Policy, Regulation, Risk and safety, South/Central America, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Oxitec, 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 ...
Scientists are now playing god with mosquitoes
Tags: Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. Wehner, BGR, 2021.
Preventing illnesses in humans is a high priority for scientists that devote their lives to finding cures and techniques that keep people healthy, but sometimes a plan comes along that is so wild it can cause even the most devoted science fans to furrow their brow. In Florida, ...
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 Technique
Tags: Incompatible insect technique, Mosquito husbandry, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. 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 ...
First GMO mosquitoes to be released in the Florida Keys
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)T. White, UNDARK, 2021.
Oxitec says its technology will combat dengue fever, a potentially life-threatening disease, and other mosquito-borne viruses — such as Zika — mainly transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. While there have been more than 7,300 dengue cases reported in the United States ...
Introduction of a cold sensitivity-conferring mutation into the RTA-Bddsx hybrid system of Bactrocera dorsalis for establishment of a thermally controllable homozygous line
Tags: Fruit fly, Gene editing, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)S. 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; ...
Determining the Sterilization Doses under Hypoxia for the Novel Black Pupae Genetic Sexing Strain of Anastrepha fraterculus (Diptera, Tephritidae)
Tags: Fruit fly, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)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 ...
Village hears from experts as genetic-mosquito release experiment nears.
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)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 ...
Sterile Insect Technique in an Integrated Vector Management Program against Tiger Mosquito Aedes albopictus in the Valencia Region (Spain): Operating Procedures and Quality Control Parameters
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Mosquito husbandry, Sterile insect technique (SIT), Vector controlC. 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 ...
When More is Less: Mosquito Population Suppression Using Sterile, Incompatible and Genetically Modified Male Mosquitoes
Tags: Cytoplasmic incompatibility, Genetic biocontrol, Incompatible insect technique, Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT), WolbachiaS. 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 ...
Mosquito anxiety prompts query from congressman
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)T. 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. ...
Eliminating Mosquitoes with Precision Guided Sterile Males
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Gene drive synthetic, Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. 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 ...
Engineered expression of the invertebrate-specific scorpion toxin AaHIT reduces adult longevity and female fecundity in the diamondback moth Plutella xylostella
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Oxitec, Pest management, Sterile insect technique (SIT)T. 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 ...
Tensions rise as GM mosquito release nears in Florida Keys
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)T. 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 ...
Florida Keys moves forward with genetically modified mosquitoes
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)H. 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 ...
Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices Survey in Greece before the Implementation of Sterile Insect Technique against Aedes albopictus
Tags: Aedes, Mosquitoes, Stakeholder engagement, Sterile insect technique (SIT)A. 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 ...
When and where will millions of mosquitoes be released? Here are details for Florida Keys
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)D. 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 ...
Sterile Insect Technique: Lessons From the Past
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. 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 ...
Company uses engineered mosquitoes to prevent diseases
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, North America, Sterile insect technique (SIT)N. 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 ...
Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) against Aedes Species Mosquitoes: A Roadmap and Good Practice Framework for Designing, Implementing and Evaluating Pilot Field Trials
Tags: Aedes, Field trials, Mosquitoes, Stakeholder engagement, Sterile insect technique (SIT), Vector controlC. 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 ...
Mosquito trial will begin in April, but Keys locations won’t be disclosed
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)S. 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 ...
Locals protest over genetically modified mosquito plan in Florida Keys
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)D. 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 ...
Operational Parameters for the Aerial Release of Sterile Codling Moths Using an Uncrewed Aircraft System
Tags: Moths, Sterile insect technique (SIT)E. 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 ...
Oxitec gears up for test releases
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)T. 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.
GeneConvene Global Collaborative Webinar Series | Genetic Biocontrol 2021
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Incompatible insect technique, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT), Webinar, WolbachiaDavid 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 ...
Improving the Phenotypic Properties of the Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae) Temperature-Sensitive Lethal Genetic Sexing Strain in Support of Sterile Insect Technique Applications
Tags: Fruit fly, Genetic biocontrol, Mosquito husbandry, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. 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 ...
Sexual Competitiveness and Induced Egg Sterility by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus Gamma-Irradiated Males: A Laboratory and Field Study in Mexico
Tags: Aedes, Arbovirus, Dengue, Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)J. 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 ...
Drivers of mosquito mating
Tags: Anopheles, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Pest management, Sterile insect technique (SIT)N. 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 ...
Clock genes and environmental cues coordinate Anopheles pheromone synthesis, swarming, and mating
Tags: Anopheles, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)G. 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 ...
White pupae phenotype of tephritids is caused by parallel mutations of a MFS transporter
Tags: Fruit fly, Sterile insect technique (SIT)C. 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 ...
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 Diets
Tags: Fruit fly, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Q. 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 ...
Population Dynamics of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus in Two Rural Villages in Southern Mexico: Baseline Data for an Evaluation of the Sterile Insect Technique
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)C. 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 ...
Sterile Insect Technique: Principles and Practice in Area-Wide Integrated Pest Management (2nd ed.)
Tags: Sterile insect technique (SIT)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 ...
ARS Science Key to Stopping ‘Man-Eating’ Parasite
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)S. 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 ...
Transgenic cotton and sterile insect releases synergize eradication of pink bollworm a century after it invaded the United States
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)B. 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 ...
Genetic pest management and the background genetics of release strains
Tags: Evolution, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Pest management, Population genetics/dynamics, Sterile insect technique (SIT), WolbachiaP. 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 ...
Genetic sexing strains for the population suppression of the mosquito vector Aedes aegypti
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)P. 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 ...
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 mosquitoes
Tags: Aedes, Arbovirus, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)S. 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 ...
Precise single base substitution in the shibire gene by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated homology directed repair in Bactrocera tryoni
Tags: Fruit fly, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)A. 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 ...
Converting female mosquitoes to non-biting males with implications for mosquito control
Tags: Aedes, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Sex distorter, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. 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, ...
FKMCD – Oxitec | Mosquito Project Webinar Series
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, Oxitec, South/Central America, Sterile insect technique (SIT), WebinarOxitec 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.
Fear of Oxitec mosquito release grows
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)T. 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 ...
A patent review on strategies for biological control of mosquito vector
Tags: Biological control, Gene drive, Gene editing, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Genetically modified organisms, Incompatible insect technique, Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)K. 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 ...
Modelling the Wolbachia incompatible insect technique: strategies for effective mosquito population elimination
Tags: Aedes, Incompatible insect technique, Modeling, Mosquitoes, Population modification/replacement, Population suppression, Sterile insect technique (SIT), WolbachiaD. 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 ...
Strategic Approach, Advances, and Challenges in the Development and Application of the SIT for Area-Wide Control of Aedes albopictus Mosquitoes in Reunion Island
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)L. 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.
Combined Effects of Mating Disruption, Insecticides, and the Sterile Insect Technique on Cydia pomonella in New Zealand
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Moths, Population suppression, Sterile insect technique (SIT)R. 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. ...
Field Competitiveness of Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) Irradiated Males in Pilot Sterile Insect Technique Trials in Northern Italy
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)R. 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 ...
‘A plague to be reckoned with’: UMN research creates a buzz with invasive fruit fly research
Tags: Cytoplasmic incompatibility, Fruit fly, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)B. 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 ...
Assessment of a Novel Adult Mass-Rearing Cage for Aedes albopictus (Skuse) and Anopheles arabiensis (Patton).
Tags: Aedes, Anopheles, Genetic biocontrol, Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)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 ...
Fighting Mosquito With GMO Mosquito: The Battle Brewing in the Florida Keys
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)S. 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 ...
Florida will release 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)S. 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 ...
Genetic engineering of sex chromosomes for batch cultivation of non-transgenic, sex-sorted males
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified organisms, Sterile insect technique (SIT)S. 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 ...
The Sterile Insect Technique: Success and Perspectives in the Neotropics
Tags: Fruit fly, Genetic biocontrol, Pest management, Sterile insect technique (SIT)D. Perez-Staples, F. Diaz-Fleischer and P. Montoya, Neotropical Entomology, 14. 2020.
Here, we review SIT in the Neotropics and focus on particular recent successful cases of eradication of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), as well as effective programs used against the Mexican fruit fly Anastrepha ludens (Loew), the New World screwworm ...
Educating the Public on Genetically Modified Mosquitoes
Tags: Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Stakeholder engagement, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Buckner, 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 ...
FKMCD-OXITEC Mosquito Project
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)FKMCD 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 ...
Florida to Release 750 Million GMO Mosquitoes in 2021
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Seeker, 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.
Yes, Irradiated Sterile Male Mosquitoes Can Be Sexually Competitive!
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)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.
You should be excited that scientists are releasing 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes this year
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)L. Westreich, Massive Science, 2020.
GM mosquitoes are successful in reducing mosquito populations, and reducing disease spread
The Con Job at Mosquito Control Board
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)E. 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?
Gene Drive: Modern Miracle or Environmental Disaster
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Oxitec, Policy, Regulation, Sterile insect technique (SIT)K. 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 ...
Can a Genetically Modified Bug Combat a Global Farm Plague?
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Moths, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)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.
Dynamics of Wild and Sterile Mosquito Population Models with Delayed Releasing
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Modeling, Sterile insect technique (SIT)L. 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 ...
How to fight the deadly dengue virus? Make your own mosquitoes
Tags: Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Incompatible insect technique, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT), WolbachiaJ. Emont, Wall Street Journal, 2020.
When the bacteria-laden male mosquitoes are released into the open and mate with naturally-born females, the resultant eggs won’t hatch.
GMOs make war on mosquitoes
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Staff, 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.
Why Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Won’t Come to Texas Anytime Soon
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)C. 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 ...
Do Africans need genetically modified mosquitoes?
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Genetically modified organisms, Malaria, Oxitec, Stakeholder engagement, Sterile insect technique (SIT)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:
An accident waiting to happen: Tech company to release 750 MILLION GMO mosquitoes in Florida to fight dengue fever
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Z. 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.
Genetically-modified mosquito plan offers hope for Keys, world
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)P. 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
The good mosquito versus the bad
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)D. Datta, Business Standard, 2020.
Starting 2021, around 750 million genetically modified (GM) Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes will be released in batches into the Florida Keys.
Florida Will Release 750 Genetically Modified Mosquitoes to Stop Disease Spread
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)A. 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.
Deep dive: Florida’s GM mosquito experiment aims to rewrite rules of vector-borne diseases
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)S. 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.
Fighting mosquito-borne diseases… with mosquitoes
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT), WolbachiaN. 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.
Bug board OKs release of genetically modified mosquitoes
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)T. 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.
Genetically modified mosquitoes to be released in the Florida Keys to combat dengue, zika, and yellow fever.
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)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 ...
Transgenic moths released to end one of the worst pests on the planet
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)B. 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.
750 million genetically modified mosquitoes soon released in the wild!
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)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.
US to Use Genetically Modified Mosquitoes to Fight Dengue Fever
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)H. 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.
Florida Keys to Use Genetically Modified Mosquitoes to Fight Disease
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)B. 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.
Florida Approves Controversial Plan to Release 750 Million Genetically Modified Mosquitoes
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)D. 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
Mutant bugs released to fight disease
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)The 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.
More than 750 million GMO mosquitoes to be released over Florida Keys – what could go wrong?
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)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.
Florida to release genetically modified mosquitoes to prevent diseases like Zika
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)The 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.
Genetically modified mosquitoes have been OK’d for a first U.S. test flight
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)S. 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.
Florida Will Release Genetically Modified Mosquitoes to Fight Disease in the Keys
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)S. 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.
Florida is releasing 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes into the world. Here’s why
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)H. 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 ...
Genetically Modified Mosquitoes To Be Released In Florida Keys
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)A. 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 ...
Release 750 Million Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Into the Wild, They Said
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)C. 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 ...
Florida releasing genetically modified mosquitoes to prevent diseases like Zika
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)N. 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.
750 Million GM Mosquitoes Will Be Released in the Florida Keys
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)L. 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 ...
Hundreds Of Millions Of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Approved For Release In US
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)J. 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.
Why Hundreds of Millions of Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes Will Soon Be Released in Florida
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)K. 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 ...
Florida to release genetically modified mosquitoes, detractors blast ‘Jurassic Park’ experiment
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)D. 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 ...
750 million genetically modified mosquitoes to be released across Florida Keys
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)A. 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 ...
750 million GM mosquitos set for release in Florida Keys.
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)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.
Florida Plans to Fix Its Mosquito Problem With 750 Million More Mosquitoes
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)D. 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.
Florida mosquitoes: 750 million genetically modified insects to be released
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)BBC, 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.
Florida OKs release of genetically modified mosquitoes in Keys to slow insect disease spread
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)S. 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.
Florida Keys to release modified mosqutioes to fight illness
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)C. 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 ...
Florida to Release Millions of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Against Local Residents’ Wishes
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)N. 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 ...
Plan to Release 750M GMO Mosquitoes Gets Go Ahead
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)R. 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.
‘A Jurassic Park Experiment’: Watchdog Groups Denounce Decision to Release Genetically Modified Mosquitoes in Florida
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)L. 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.
Florida Keys to release 750M genetically modified mosquitoes
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)D. 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 ...
FKMCD Board Approves Oxitec Pilot
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)C. Huff, FKMCD in the News, 2020.
The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District’s (FKMCD) five member board has APPROVED a proposal by Oxitec to utilize non-biting male, genetically modified mosquitoes as part of a trial to determine their effectiveness in controlling the wild population of Aedes aegypti, the ...
To combat disease-spreading mosquitoes in the Keys, leaders vote to unleash lab bugs
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)D. 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.
Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Cleared for Florida Keys Release
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)J. 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.
Keys Mosquito Control Board Approves First U.S. Trial Of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)N. 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.
Study Could Lead to Power Over Parasite
Tags: Genetics, Genomics, Sterile insect technique (SIT)D. 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 ...
Maintenance management and eradication of established aquatic invaders
Tags: Biodiversity/Conservation, Biological control, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Gene editing, Invasive species, Population suppression, Sterile insect technique (SIT)D. Simberloff, Hydrobiologia, 22. 2020.
The rapid development of technologies based on genetics has engendered excitement about possibly eradicating or controlling terrestrial invaders, and such technologies may also prove useful for certain aquatic invaders. Methods of particular interest, alone or in various ...
Genomic analyses of a livestock pest, the New World screwworm, find potential targets for genetic control programs
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Genetics, Genomics, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. 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 ...
A One-Sided Competition Mathematical Model for the Sterile Insect Technique
Tags: Modeling, Population suppression, Sterile insect technique (SIT)A. 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).
Genetically modified mosquitoes could be released in Florida
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)wqad.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.
Nix alone is sufficient to convert female Aedes aegypti into fertile males and myo-sex is needed for male flight
Tags: Aedes, Fruit fly, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Population suppression, Sterile insect technique (SIT), Y-chromosomeA. 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 ...
Why are scientists creating genetically modified mosquitoes?
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)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:
Florida Keys delays vote on release of 750 million genetically engineered mosquitoes after public outcry
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)D. 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 ...
Release of genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys put on hold
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Risk and safety, Stakeholder engagement, Sterile insect technique (SIT)D. 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.
EPA approves field trials of genetically modified mosquito
Tags: Aedes, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Risk and safety, Sterile insect technique (SIT)A. 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 ...
Researchers convert female mosquitoes to nonbiting males with implications for mosquito control
Tags: Aedes, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Population suppression, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Virginia 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 ...
On Nonlinear Pest/Vector Control via the Sterile Insect Technique: Impact of Residual Fertility
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, Modeling, Pest management, Sterile insect technique (SIT), Vector controlM. 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.
Beyone the buzz
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)C. 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 ...
GMO Mosquitoes to be launched in Florida
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Genetically modified organisms, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Administration, 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 ...
Who is afraid of genetically modified mosquitoes?
Tags: Africa, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Governance, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Risk and safety, Sterile insect technique (SIT)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 ...
Mosquito district workshop focuses on Keys trials
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Governance, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Risk and safety, Sterile insect technique (SIT)S. 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 ...
Genetically modified mosquitoes to be released in Florida and Texas
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Governance, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Risk and safety, Sterile insect technique (SIT)O. 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, ...
Before genetically modified mosquitoes are released, we need a better EPA
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Governance, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Risk and safety, Sterile insect technique (SIT)N. 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 ...
Florida gives approval to the plan of releasing genetically modified mosquitoes.
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)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 ...
Are Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Coming To Florida?
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Governance, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Risk and safety, Sterile insect technique (SIT)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 ...
The Florida Keys are one step closer to getting genetically modified mosquitoes
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Governance, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Risk and safety, Sterile insect technique (SIT)D. 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 ...
Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Approved For Insect Population Control In The U.S.
Tags: Arbovirus, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)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 ...
Florida says ‘this is fine’ to release of genetically modified mosquitoes
Tags: Arbovirus, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)J. 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 ...
Plan to Release GMO Mosquitoes Moves Ahead
Tags: Arbovirus, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)A. 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 ...
Genetically engineered mosquitoes get EPA approval for Florida release despite objections from environmental groups
Tags: Arbovirus, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)S. 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 ...
Florida Keys plans killer insect attack on disease-carrying mosquitoes
Tags: Arbovirus, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)P. 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 ...
Genetic breakdown of a Tet-off conditional lethality system for insect population control
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Resistance, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Y. 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 ...
Plan to release genetically modified mosquitoes in Florida gets go-ahead
Tags: Arbovirus, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)O. 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.
Field performance of sterile male mosquitoes released from an uncrewed aerial vehicle
Tags: Aedes, Gene drive, Modeling, Sterile insect technique (SIT)J. 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 ...
EPA faces suit over plan to release genetically engineered mosquitoes
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)R. 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
Fact check: Genetically modified mosquitoes are cleared for release in the US
Tags: Arbovirus, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)A. 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.
Scientists hope to release genetically-modified mosquitoes
Tags: Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Fox 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.
Scientist fight plant to release gene-hacked mosquitoes in TX, FL.
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)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 ...
Company Receives Permit To Release Swarm Of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes In Florida
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)I. 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 ...
What else could 2020 bring to Florida? Genetically altered, lab bred mosquitoes
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)J. 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 ...
BUZZ OFF! Swarm of MILLIONS of gene-hacked mosquitoes will be unleashed across USA – to wipe out malaria with ‘death sex’
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)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 ...
Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Cleared For Release In The US
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. 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 ...
Genetically modified mosquitoes could be released in Florida and Texas beginning this summer – silver bullet or jumping the gun?
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Policy, Regulation, Risk and safety, Sterile insect technique (SIT)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 ...
‘Just Add Water’ GM Mosquitoes Suppress Wild Population by 95%
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, Oxitec, South/Central America, Sterile insect technique (SIT)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 ...
America’s Never-Ending Battle Against Flesh-Eating Worms
Tags: History, North America, Sterile insect technique (SIT)S. 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 ...
EPA Approves Genetically Modified Mosquito Trial For Florida Keys
Tags: Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Nancy Klingener, WLRN, 2020.
A plan to test genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys has received approval from the federal government.
Mutant mosquitoes one step closer to release in Florida, Texas this summer. Why?
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)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
US EPA OKs release of GM mosquitoes
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)A. 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.
Genetically Engineered Male Mosquitos to be Released in Florida and Other Parts of US to Curb Zika and Dengue Spread
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Staff Reporter, The Science Times, 2020.
The Environmental Protection Agency has recently approved a new and controversial field test aimed at reducing their population.
Genetic Biocontrol – An Overview (video 13.13 min)
Tags: Cytoplasmic incompatibility, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Incompatible insect technique, Sterile insect technique (SIT), Toxin-antidote, Underdominance, Wolbachia, X chromosomeGeneConvene 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 ...
Guidance Framework for Testing the Sterile Insect Technique as a Vector Control Tool against Aedes-Borne Diseases
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)WHO & 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 ...
Can we kill the dreaded mosquito? Do we even want to?
Tags: Dengue, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Incompatible insect technique, Malaria, Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT), WolbachiaStacey 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 ...
Efficient production of male Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes enables large-scale suppression of wild populations
Tags: Aedes, Incompatible insect technique, Sterile insect technique (SIT), WolbachiaJ. 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 ...
Development of control and sterilization technology for bluegill by genome editing
Tags: Fish, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Invasive species, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. A. Madsen, Nippon Suisan Gakkaishi, 86:100-100. 2020.
This article is in Japanese
Male-biased adult production of the striped fruit fly, Zeugodacus scutellata, by feeding dsRNA fpecific to Transformer-2
Tags: Genetic engineering, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. 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 ...
The value of existing regulatory frameworks for the environmental risk assessment of agricultural pest control using gene drive
Tags: Biological control, Gene drive synthetic, Genetically modified organisms, Incompatible insect technique, Regulation, Risk assessment, Sterile insect technique (SIT)J. 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 ...
Editorial Expression of Concern: Transgenic Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes Transfer Genes into a Natural Population
Tags: Aedes, Arbovirus, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Oxitec, Risk and safety, South/Central America, Sterile insect technique (SIT)B. 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.
The Buzz About Genetically Modified Mosquitoes – a podcast
Tags: Gene drive mechanisms, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)The 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 ...
Genetically engineered moths may save kale chips
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Moths, Oxitec, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)C. Poku, BIOtechNOW, 2020.
Sea salt kale chips, bacon brussels sprouts, and buffalo cauliflower wings are under threat. Environmental activists will have you believe the biggest threat to our food system is pesticides. That’s not true, in fact, it’s insects—the very reason most pesticides are ...
Phased Conditional Approach for Mosquito Management Using Sterile Insect Technique
Tags: Regulation, Sterile insect technique (SIT)J. 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 ...
Genetic Variation and Potential for Resistance Development to the tTA Overexpression Lethal System in Insects
Tags: Fruit fly, Oxitec, Resistance, Sterile insect technique (SIT)K. 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 ...
Genetically engineered moths have been released into the wild to wipe out pests
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Moths, Oxitec, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)K. Rogers, CNN, 2020.
Genetically modified diamondback moths designed to wipe out wild pest populations were released in fields for the first time in New York state. Diamondback moths are migratory pests found in the Americas, Europe, New Zealand and Southeast Asia, but especially in areas where ...
Genetically modified butterflies could herald a new era in crop protection
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Moths, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Science 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 ...
World’s First Genetically Modified Moths Released to Nature
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Moths, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. 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 ...
GMO diamondback moth shows promise as sustainable pest control tool in first ever open-field release
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Moths, Oxitec, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Cornell University, Genetic Literacy Project, 2020.
A newly published study reports a successful, first-ever open-field release of a self-limiting, genetically engineered diamondback moth, stating that it paves the way for an effective and sustainable approach to pest control. The diamondback moth, also known as Plutella ...
Scientists have released genetically modified moths
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Moths, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)N. 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.
GM Insects on the Horizon
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Moths, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)E. 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 ...
Male moths genetically modified to kill females released in the wild
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Moths, Oxitec, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. Le Page, New Scientist, 2020.
Genetically modified male diamondback moths designed to wipe out pest populations have been released in New York state. The field trial shows that these GM moths, whose female offspring die soon after hatching, could help control this major crop pest. Oxitec, the British ...
First Field Release of a Genetically Engineered, Self-Limiting Agricultural Pest Insect: Evaluating Its Potential for Future Crop Protection
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Moths, Oxitec, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)A. M. Shelton, S. J. Long, A. S. Walker, M. Bolton, H. L. Collins, L. Revuelta, L. M. Johnson and N. I. Morrison, Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 7:1-15. 2020.
Alternative, biologically-based approaches for pest management are sorely needed and one approach is to use genetically engineered insects. Herein we describe a series of integrated field, laboratory and modeling studies with the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, a serious ...
Genetic Control of Mosquitoes
Tags: Gene drive mechanisms, Gene drive synthetic, Mosquitoes, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT), Toxin-antidote, Transmission distortion, Underdominance, X chromosome, Y-chromosomeAlphey, 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 ...
Community Engagement Prior to a Small-Scale Pilot of the Sterile Insect Technique in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa 2018
Tags: Africa, Anopheles, Stakeholder engagement, Sterile insect technique (SIT)P. N. Manana, J. Zikhali, D. Dlamini, S. Gumede, N. Mabaso, T. Mpungose and G. Munhenga, Journal of Public Health and Disease Prevention, 2. 2019.
Approximately 165 000 listeners were engaged during two 30 minute radio interviews at a local radio station. Two hundred and fifty farm workers, several outpatients from primary health care facilities and 1400 secondary school pupils were given education on malaria transmission ...
Mass-Rearing of Drosophila suzukii for Sterile Insect Technique Application: Evaluation of Two Oviposition Systems
Tags: Fruit fly, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)F. 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 ...
The Competitive Mating of Irradiated Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs, Halyomorpha halys, for the Sterile Insect Technique
Tags: Sterile insect technique (SIT)D. 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, ...
Transgenic Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes Transfer Genes into a Natural Population
Tags: Aedes, Arbovirus, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Oxitec, Risk and safety, South/Central America, Sterile insect technique (SIT)B. 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 ...
Engineered action at a distance: Blood-meal-inducible paralysis in Aedes aegypti
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)R. E. Haghighat-Khah, T. Harvey-Samuel, S. Basu, O. StJohn, S. Scaife, S. Verkuijl, E. Lovett and L. Alphey, PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 13:e0007579. 2019.
Here we demonstrate that it is possible to engineer ‘non-cell autonomous’ effectors–that is where the effect (e.g. the action of a toxic protein) can act on cells distant from the tissues in which they are originally expressed. To achieve this we utilised the endogenous ...
Sex Sorting for Pest Control: It’s Raining Men!
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified organisms, Sterile insect technique (SIT)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 ...
A synthetic male-specific sterilization system using the mammalian pro-apoptotic factor in a malaria vector mosquito
Tags: Anopheles, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)D. 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 ...
Sterile insect technique field trials to eliminate malaria under way
Tags: Africa, Anopheles, Malaria, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Anonymous, SA Department of Science and Innovation, 2018.
The first South African research trial for the biological control of mosquitoes using the sterile insect technique started in Jozini in KwaZulu-Natal earlier this month, with funding from the Department of Science and Technology. South Africa is making significant progress in ...
Agricultural production: assessment of the potential use of Cas9-mediated gene drive systems for agricultural pest control
Tags: Agriculture, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. 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 ...
The sterile male release approach as a method to control invasive amphibian populations: a preliminary study on Lithobates catesbeianus
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Invasive species, Sterile insect technique (SIT)S. Descamps and A. De Vocht, Management of Biological Invasions, 8:361-370. 2017.
Widespread populations of the invasive species Lithobates catesbeianus (American bullfrog) are present in different parts of the world and are difficult to control. This study investigated the possibility to sterilize male individuals of this species in order to use the sterile ...
A secret weapon against Zika and other mosquito-borne diseases
Tags: Arbovirus, Genetic biocontrol, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Nina 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 ...
The IAEA and Food – Tsetse Fly Eradication – Senegal
Tags: Other arthropods, Sterile insect technique (SIT)International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA/FAO, 2017.
Senegal has successfully integrated the Sterile Insect Technique into its tsetse fly control project in the Niayes region. This nuclear technique suppresses or even eradicates insect pest by using radiation to sterilize primarily males. The disease that tsetse flies transmit can ...
Area-wide Integrated Pest Management
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Risk assessment, Sterile insect technique (SIT), Vector controlFood 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 ...
Concept and history of genetic control
Tags: Cytoplasmic incompatibility, Fruit fly, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, History, Other Symbionts, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Scott, M. J. and Benedict, M. Q., Genetic Control of Malaria and Dengue, 2:31-54. 2016.
Genetic control of insects is an established method, mainly for insects that are important crop and veterinary pests such as medflies and screwworm. Efforts to use the same technologies against insects of medical importance, especially mosquitoes, have had limited success. The ...
Mating competitiveness of sterile genetic sexing strain males (GAMA) under laboratory and semi-field conditions: Steps towards the use of the Sterile Insect Technique to control the major malaria vector Anopheles arabiensis in South Africa
Tags: Africa, Anopheles, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)G. Munhenga, B. D. Brooke, J. R. L. Gilles, K. Slabbert, A. Kemp, L. C. Dandalo, O. R. Wood, L. N. Lobb, D. Govender, M. Renke and L. L. Koekemoer, Parasites and Vectors, 9:122. 2016.
Anopheles arabiensis Patton is primarily responsible for malaria transmission in South Africa after successful suppression of other major vector species using indoor spraying of residual insecticides. Control of An. arabiensis using current insecticide based approaches is proving ...
The Sterile Insect Technique
Tags: Sterile insect technique (SIT), VideoIAEA/FAO, 2015.
For over 50 years, the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) has been successfully used around the world to tackle pests that destroy fruit and kill livestock. The method uses radiation to sterilize male flies, which are mass-produced in rearing facilities. Large numbers of sterile ...
The Trojan Female Technique for pest control: a candidate mitochondrial mutation confers low male fertility across diverse nuclear backgrounds in Drosophila melanogaster
Tags: Evolution, Genetic biocontrol, Genomics, Mosquito husbandry, Pest management, Rodents, Sex distorter, Sterile insect technique (SIT)D. K. Dowling, D. M. Tompkins and N. J. Gemmell, Evolutionary Applications, 8:8710880. 2015.
The Trojan Female Technique (TFT) was recently proposed as a prospective approach to biological pest control. However, applicability of the TFT relies on mitochondrial mutations whose male-sterilizing effects are general across nuclear genomic contexts. We test this assumption, ...
Back to the future: the sterile insect technique against mosquito disease vectors
Tags: Aedes, Anopheles, Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)R. S. Lees, J. R. L. Gilles, J. Hendrichs, M. J. B. Vreysen and K. Bourtzis, Current Opinion in Insect Science, 10:156-162. 2015.
With the global burden of mosquito-borne diseases increasing, and some conventional vector control tools losing effectiveness, the sterile insect technique (SIT) is a potential new tool in the arsenal. Equipment and protocols have been developed and validated for efficient ...
Genetic Control of Mosquitoes.
Tags: Gene drive mechanisms, Gene drive synthetic, Mosquitoes, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT), Toxin-antidote, Transmission distortion, Underdominance, X chromosome, Y-chromosomeAlphey, 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 ...
Genetic control of invasive fish: technological options and its role in integrated pest management
Tags: Biodiversity/Conservation, Biological control, Fish, Gene drive mechanisms, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Sex distorter, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Thresher, REH, K.; Bax, N. J.; Teem, J.; Benfey, T. J.; Gould, F., Biological Invasions, 16:1201-1216. 2014.
Genetic options for the control of invasive fishes were recently reviewed and synthesized at a 2010 international symposium, held in Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN, USA. The only option currently available "off-the-shelf'' is triploidy, which can be used to produce sterile males for a ...
The Trojan female technique: a novel, effective and humane approach for pest population control
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Sex distorter, Sterile insect technique (SIT)N. 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 ...
Swarming and mating behavior of male Anopheles arabiensis Patton (Diptera: Culicidae) in an area of the Sterile Insect Technique Project in Dongola, northern Sudan
Tags: Africa, Anopheles, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. M. Hassan, H. M. Zain, M. A. Basheer, H. E. F. Elhaj and B. B. El-Sayed, Acta Tropica, 132:S64-S69. 2013.
The problems facing the conventional mosquito control methods including resistance to insecticides have led to the development of alternative methods such as the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) to suppress populations of the malaria vector Anopheles arabiensis in northern Sudan. ...
Demographic effects on the use of genetic options for the control of mosquitofish, Gambusia holbrooki
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Modeling, Pest management, Population genetics/dynamics, Sex distorter, Sterile insect technique (SIT)R. E. Thresher, M. Canning and N. J. Bax, Ecological Applications, 23:801-814. 2013.
This study tests the sensitivity of genetically based pest control options based on sex ratio distortion to intra-and intersexual aggressive interactions that affect male and female survival and fitness. Data on these interactions and their impacts were gathered for the ...
Evaluating the potential of the sterile insect technique for malaria control: relative fitness and mating compatibility between laboratory colonized and a wild population of Anopheles arabiensis from the Kruger National Park, South Africa
Tags: Africa, Anopheles, Sterile insect technique (SIT)G. Munhenga, B. D. Brooke, T. F. Chirwa, R. H. Hunt, M. Coetzee, D. Govender and L. L. Koekemoer, Parasites and Vectors, 4:208. 2011.
The successful suppression of a target insect population using the sterile insect technique (SIT) partly depends on the premise that the laboratory insects used for mass rearing are genetically compatible with the target population, that the mating competitiveness of laboratory ...
Field performance of engineered male mosquitoes
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)A. 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 ...
Why RIDL is not SIT
Tags: Genetically modified mosquitoes, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)W. C. Black, L. Alphey and A. A. James, Trends in Parasitology, 27:362-370. 2011.
History teaches that sterile insect technique (SIT) is a feasible strategy for mosquito population suppression. Female killing (FK) technologies developed later theoretically had greater potential than SIT, but depended upon chromosomal translocations. Unfortunately these were ...
Ethical, legal and social aspects of the approach in Sudan
Tags: Africa, Anopheles, Ethics, Governance, Mosquitoes, Regulation, Sterile insect technique (SIT)B. B. El Sayed, C. A. Malcolm, A. Babiker, E. M. Malik, M. A. H. El Tayeb, N. S. Saeed, A. H. D. Nugud and B. G. J. Knols, Malaria Journal, 8:S3. 2009.
The global malaria situation, especially in Africa, and the problems frequently encountered in chemical control of vectors such as insecticide resistance, emphasize the urgency of research, development and implementation of new vector control technologies that are applicable at ...
Field site selection: getting it right first time around
Tags: Africa, Anopheles, Malaria, Sterile insect technique (SIT)C. A. Malcolm, B. El Sayed, A. Babiker, R. Girod, D. Fontenille, B. G. J. Knols, A. H. Nugud and M. Q. Benedict, Malaria Journal, 8. 2009.
The selection of suitable field sites for integrated control of Anopheles mosquitoes using the sterile insect technique (SIT) requires consideration of the full gamut of factors facing most proposed control strategies, but four criteria identify an ideal site: 1) a single malaria ...
Spatial and temporal distribution of the malaria mosquito Anopheles arabiensis in northern Sudan: influence of environmental factors and implications for vector control
Tags: Africa, Anopheles, Malaria, Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)T. B. Ageep, J. Cox, M. M. Hassan, B. G. J. Knols, M. Q. Benedict, C. A. Malcolm, A. Babiker and B. B. El Sayed, Malaria Journal, 8:14. 2009.
Background: Malaria is an important public health problem in northern Sudan, but little is known about the dynamics of its transmission. Given the characteristic low densities of Anopheles arabiensis and the difficult terrain in this area, future vector control strategies are ...
Towards a sterile insect technique field release of Anopheles arabiensis mosquitoes in Sudan: Irradiation, transportation, and field cage experimentation
Tags: Africa, Anopheles, Malaria, Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. E. H. Helinski, M. M. Hassan, W. M. El-Motasim, C. A. Malcolm, B. G. J. Knols and B. El-Sayed, Malaria Journal, 7:10. 2008.
Background: The work described in this article forms part of a study to suppress a population of the malaria vector Anopheles arabiensis in Northern State, Sudan, with the Sterile Insect Technique. No data have previously been collected on the irradiation and transportation of ...
First Anopheles arabiensis germline transformation: Toward the development of a transgenic genetic sexing strain
Tags: Anopheles, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Malaria, Sterile insect technique (SIT)H. 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 ...
The Sterile Insect Technique: can established technology beat malaria?
Tags: Africa, Anopheles, Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. E. H. Helinski, B. El-Sayed and B. G. J. Knols, Entomologische Berichten, 66:13-20. 2006.
The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) is the mass production, sterilisation and subsequent release of sterile insects into a target population in an area-wide integrated approach. The released sterile males mate with wild females; they thus no longer produce offspring and therefore ...
Radiation-induced sterility for pupal and adult stages of the malaria mosquito Anopheles arabiensis
Tags: Africa, Anopheles, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. E. H. Helinski, A. G. Parker and B. G. J. Knols, Malaria Journal, 5:10. 2006.
The optimal dose for male insects to be released in an SIT programme depends on their level of sterility and competitiveness. The use of semi-sterilizing doses to produce more competitive insects is discussed. The most convenient developmental stage for mosquito irradiation on a ...
Genetic strategies for controlling mosquito-borne diseases
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT), Transmission distortion, UnderdominanceF. 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
An Anopheles transgenic sexing strain for vector control
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)F. 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 ...
History of the Sterile Insect Technique
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, History, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Klassen, 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 ...
Malaria Control with Genetically Manipulated Insect Vectors
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Gene editing, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Genetically modified organisms, Mosquitoes, Policy, Regulation, Risk and safety, Sterile insect technique (SIT)L. 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.
Success in Zanzibar: Eradication of tsetse
Tags: Other arthropods, Sterile insect technique (SIT)A. R. Msangi, N. Kiwia, I. I. Malele, F. Mramba, K. M. Saleh, W. A. Mussa, K. G. Juma, V. A. Dyck, M. J. B. Vreysen, A. G. Parker, U. Feldmann, Z. R. Zhu and H. Pan, Area-Wide Control of Fruit Flies and Other Insect Pests, 2000.
There are about 22 species of tsetse flies found nowhere else in the world except in 36 countries of sub-Saharan Africa Tsetse flies transmit a debilitating and often fatal disease, trypanosomosis, which causes tremendous losses of livestock, and severely limits agricultural ...
Eradication of the screwworm from Libya using the sterile insect technique
Tags: Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. Vargas-Terán, B. S. Hursey and E. P. Cunningham, Parasitology Today, 10:119-122. 1994.
The introduction in 1988 of the New World screwworrn into Libya presented a serious threat to the livestock and wildlife sectors of the African continent Mediterranean and the region. In this article, MoisPs Vargas-Terin, Brian 8. Hursey and Edward P. Cunningham describe the ...
The New World Screwworm Eradication Programme. North Africa 1988-1992
Tags: Sterile insect technique (SIT)Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO, 1992.
This book documents a programme which was unusual in several respects. The campaign to eradicate the New World screwworm from North Africa was unusually large in financial terms. At the same time it was unusually short. Era dica tion itself took about six months, although it was ...
Tsetse fly eradication in Burkina Faso and evaluation of traps and targets
Tags: Africa, Other arthropods, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. Clair, D. Cuisance, H. Politzar, P. Merot and B. Bauer, STERILE INSECT TECHNIQUE FOR TSETSE CONTROL AND ERADICATION, 1990.
Control operations against tsetse flies with the sterile insect technique (SIT) were conducted by the Centre de recherches sur les trypanosomoses animales (CRTA) (Institut d’élevage et de médecine vétérinaire des pays tropicaux/Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit ...
The eradication of Glossina-palpalis-palpalis (Robineau-Desvoidy) (diptera, Glossinidae) using traps, insecticide-impregnated targets and the sterile insect technique in central Nigeria
Tags: Africa, Other arthropods, Sterile insect technique (SIT)W. Takken, M. A. Oladunmade, L. Dengwat, H. U. Feldmann, J. A. Onah, S. O. Tenabe and H. J. Hamann, Bulletin of Entomological Research, 76:275-286. 1986.
The integrated use of biconical traps, insecticide-impregnated targets and the sterile insect technique was developed for the eradication of Glossina palpalis palpalis (Robineau-Desvoidy) in a 1500-km2 area of central Nigeria. Six weeks or more of continuous removal trapping, ...
Integration of insect sterility and insecticides for control of Glossina morsitans morsitans Westwood (Diptera: Glossinidae) in Tanzania. IV. Application of endosulfan as an aerosol prior to release of sterile males
Tags: Africa, Other arthropods, Sterile insect technique (SIT)D. L. Williamson, D. A. Dame, C. W. Lee, D. B. Gates and P. E. Cobb, Bulletin of Entomological Research, 73:383-389. 1983.
As part of a programme to test the sterile insect technique against Glossina morsitans morsitans Westw. in Tanzania, two aerial applications of endosulfan were applied to a 195-km2 test area. The applications were made with a 28-day interval to provide an initial reduction in the ...
Control of tsetse flies, Glossina spp.
Tags: Other arthropods, Sterile insect technique (SIT)D. A. Dame and A. M. Jordan, Advances in Veterinary Science and Comparative Medicine, 25:101-119. 1981.
Studies of SIT in Zimbabwe with releases of chemosterilized G. m. morsitans (Dame and Schmidt, 1970) demonstrated the feasibility of the methodology used both in the laboratory and in the field. Subsequent trials were recently completed in Tanzania, where laboratory bred sterile ...
Sterility introduced by release of genetically altered males to a domestic population of Aedes aegypti at the Kenya coast
Tags: Aedes, Africa, Genetic biocontrol, Genomics, Population suppression, Sterile insect technique (SIT)P. T. McDonald, W. Hausermann and N. Lorimer, Am J Trop Med Hyg, 26:553-61. 1977.
The release of males heterozygous for one or two sex-linked translocations was effective in introducing a high level of sterility into a domestic population of Aedes aegypti at a Rabai village. The effect of the releases continued for several weeks after the release period. Male ...
Lâchers de mâles stériles de Glossina tachinoides West. dans un gîte naturel de faible densité Bas-Logone, Cameroun
Tags: Other arthropods, Sterile insect technique (SIT)D. Cuisance and J. Itard, Revue d’élevage et de médecine vétérinaire des pays tropicaux, 26:405-422. 1973.
Des mâles adultes de G. tachinoides, élevés à Maisons-Alfort et irradiés entre 7 600 et 10 650 rads à Saclay (France), ont été expédiés chaque semaine par avion à N'Djamena (Tchad) entre février et juin 1973, pour être, après marquage, lâchés en plusieurs points ...
Comportement de mâles stériles de Glossina tachinoides West. lâchés dans les conditions naturelles – environs de Fort-Lamy (Tchad). I. Transport, lâchers, rythme d’activité, action sur la population sauvage
Tags: Other arthropods, Sterile insect technique (SIT)D. Cuisance and J. Itard, Revue d'élevage et de médecine vétérinaire des pays tropicaux, 26:55-76. 1973.
Glossina tachinoides adult males, bred and irradiated with 15,500 rads in Maisons-Alfort (France) were dispatched by air-mail to Fort-Lamy (Chad) between February and May of 1972, in order to be released, after marking, in a natural area of Cameroon side of the Chari river. In ...
The Sterile-Male Technique Against Tsetse Flies, Glossina Spp
Tags: Other arthropods, Sterile insect technique (SIT)D. A. Dame and C. H. Schmidt, 16, 24-30. 1970.
Simpson (1958) discussed the relationship between the biological characteristics of the genus Glossina and the use of the sterile-male technique in the control of this vector of trypanosomiasis, as did Knipling in an informal report in 1963 on Practical Role of the Sterility ...
Applications of genetic technology to mosquito rearing
Tags: Gene drive mechanisms, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, History, Sterile insect technique (SIT)G. 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 ...
On the role of lethal mutants in the control of populations
Tags: History, Sterile insect technique (SIT), Transmission distortionR. 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 ...
Screw-worm control through release of sterilized flies
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, History, Sterile insect technique (SIT)A. 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 ...
Possibilities of Insect Control or Eradication Through the Use of Sexually Sterile Males
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, History, Sterile insect technique (SIT)E. 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 ...
Eradication of screw-worms through release of sterilized males
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, History, Sterile insect technique (SIT)R. 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 ...
