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Hundreds of Thousands of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes to Be Released in Key West?

Dec. 6, 2012 8:36pm
Hundreds of Thousands of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes to Be Released in Key West?

(Credit: AP)

KEY WEST, Fla. (AP) — Mosquito control officials in the Florida Keys are waiting for the federal government to sign off on an experiment that would release hundreds of thousands of genetically modified mosquitoes to reduce the risk of dengue fever in the tourist town of Key West.

If approved by the Food and Drug Administration, it would be the first such experiment in the U.S. Some Key West residents worry, though, that not enough research has been done to determine the risks that releasing genetically modified mosquitoes might pose to the Keys’ fragile ecosystem.

Officials are targeting the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes because they can spread dengue fever, a disease health officials thought had been eradicated in the U.S. until 93 cases originated in the Keys in 2009 and 2010.

The trial planned by mosquito control officials and the British company Oxitec would release non-biting male mosquitoes that have been genetically modified to pass along a birth defect that kill their progeny before reaching maturity. The idea is that they will mate with wild females and their children will die before reproducing. After a few generations, Key West’s Aedes aegypti population would die off, reducing the dengue fever risk without using pesticides and at relatively a low cost, the proponents say. There is no vaccine for dengue fever.

“The science of it, I think, looks fine. It’s straight from setting up experiments and collecting data,” said Michael Doyle, pointing to research Oxitec has had published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. He inherited the project when he took the lead at the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District in mid-2011.

The district’s website says the modified genes will disappear from the environment after the mosquitoes carrying it die, resulting in no permanent change to the wild mosquito population. The district also says that the mosquito species isn’t native to the Keys, nor is it an integral food source for other animals.

Dengue fever is a viral disease that inflicts severe flu-like symptoms – the joint pain is so severe its nickname is “breakbone fever.” It isn’t fatal but victims are then susceptible at subsequent exposures to dengue hemorrhagic fever, which can be.

“It’s very uncomfortable. You ache all over, you have a terrible fever,” said Joel Biddle, a Key West resident whose dengue fever symptoms lasted more than a week in 2009.

Biddle is among those concerned about the Key West trial. He worries the modified genetic material will somehow be passed to humans or the ecosystem, and he wants more research done. He and other Key West residents also chafe at the fact that the project was in the works long before it was made public late last year.

Only female mosquitoes bite, so the modified genetic material wouldn’t be passed on to humans, Mosquito control and Oxitec officials said. They also say they’re being transparent about their data and the trial.

Real estate agent Mila de Mier has collected more than 117,700 signatures on a petition she posted on Change.org against the trial. Most come from outside the Keys, which de Mier says shows that tourists don’t support the mosquito control district.

“We are dependent here on our tourists, and people from all over the country have been sending the message,” de Mier said.

A University of Florida professor who studies mosquito control said Oxitec’s technology works and evidence from the company’s experiments elsewhere show it can control mosquito populations, but it’s not clear whether its methods are as effective at controlling the risk of disease transmission. Phil Lounibos of the Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory also said it would take repeated releases of modified mosquitoes for the program to work, and the public outcry against genetically modified organisms, even when it’s irrational, may be insurmountable.

“The public resistance and the need to reach some agreement between mosquito control and the public, I see that as a very significant issue, outside of the (operating) costs, since this is not just a one-time thing,” Lounibos said.

The Aedes aegypti has shown resistance to pesticides used to control other species, and is the most difficult for the district to manage. Common in the Southeast and the Caribbean, it lurks in standing water around homes and businesses and can breed in containers as small as bottle caps.

District inspectors go door-to-door to remove the standing water where they breed, a time-consuming task. The district spends roughly $1 million a year to suppress Aedes aegypti, 10 to 15 percent of the agency’s budget, Doyle said.

Hundreds of Thousands of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes to Be Released in Key West?

A scientist examines tiger mosquitos on August 9, 2012, in Montpellier, southern France, at a laboratory of the EID center (Entente departementale pour la demoustification) which conducts research on mosquitoes. EID Med is an inter-departmental public organization in charge of the mosquito control to protect public health and environment and improve the quality of life. (Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

“Unfortunately, control of Aedes aegypti is a never-ending job,” said Larry Hriber, the mosquito control district’s research director.

In the trial, thousands of male mosquitoes bred by Oxitec would be released in a handful of Key West blocks where the Aedes aegypti is known to breed; the number of mosquitoes in those neighborhoods would be measured against the numbers from similar blocks where no modified mosquitoes were released.

The state’s agriculture department oversees the mosquito control district, and Doyle said he would not expect any challenge from the state if the FDA signed off on the trial. The mosquito control district wouldn’t need any local permit for the trial, either, but officials held a public meeting earlier this year and have posted information on the agency’s website.

That trial may be years away. FDA spokeswoman Morgan Liscinsky said no genetically modified species can be released without approval.

There hasn’t been a case of dengue fever in Key West since November 2010, but two other cases were reported elsewhere in South Florida this fall.

The mosquito trial proposed for Key West wouldn’t be the first release of genetically modified insects in the U.S.

In 2009, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service concluded that integrating genetically modified pink bollworms, bred by Oxitec to be sterile but more competitive in mating than regular bollworms, into the agency’s plant pest control program was “the environmentally preferable alternative” to combat the cotton pest. The program was discontinued, however, after officials found that the genetically modified insects were not as hardy as pink bollworms sterilized through irradiation, and that their use in organic cotton fields would cause farmers to lose their certification.

Oxitec said the USDA’s environmental assessment is one of several examples of proof that the trial’s risks and methods are being independently evaluated. The company has trials in Brazil, the Cayman Islands and Malaysia, and it says it’s gotten positive reviews from the latter two governments. It also cites its published research in peer-reviewed journals.

But Biddle, the onetime dengue patient, wants Oxitec to continue testing the modified mosquitoes outside the U.S.

“Why the rush here?” the Key West man said. “We already have test cases in the world where we can watch what is happening and make the best studies, because wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could find out how it can be fail-safe – which it is not right now. It’s an open Pandora’s box.”

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Comments (99)

1 2 3
  • woodcellar
    Posted on December 6, 2012 at 11:22pm

    DDT use to take care of these problems.

    Report this comment

    woodcellar  
    • G-WHIZ
      Posted on December 7, 2012 at 12:01pm

      You never heard MSM tell you that: DDT HAS BEEN FINALLY FOUND TO BE SAFE FOR HUMANS AND OTHER SMALLER ANIMALS such as mice and larger!! This was reported by WORLD NET DAILY ABOUT 1YEAR AGO!! Our PROG-GOVERNMENT will [NOT] LET MSM TELL ANYONE!!

      Report this comment

      G-WHIZ  
    • bonesiii
      Posted on December 9, 2012 at 1:40pm

      How about genetically modifying them to not bite???

      Okay, they’d probably die out while the biters wouldn’t. Hm…

      Yeah. Pesticides baby.

      Report this comment

      bonesiii  
  • KOseekingtruth
    Posted on December 6, 2012 at 10:50pm

    Can anyone remember the killer bees fiasco? Life always finds a way and the scientists know this.

    Report this comment

    KOseekingtruth  
    • Cesium
      Posted on December 7, 2012 at 8:16pm

      One of my favorite quotes.. “Evolution is smarter than you.”

      Report this comment

      Cesium  
  • Lordcsmith
    Posted on December 6, 2012 at 10:42pm

    The district also says that the mosquito species isn’t native to the Keys, nor is it an integral food source for other animals.

    Hmmm… But what about this:
    http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1603/ME10152

    So, you guys brought Mosquitos to a state that was made out of a swamp…. And they got out of control and started spreading disease. Now, you think you found a way a way to kill them. Okay, thankfully, when you guys plan something it never goes wrong. A little hubris goes a long way.

    Report this comment

    Lordcsmith  
  • TORCH9
    Posted on December 6, 2012 at 10:31pm

    This whole experiment may be the start of the Zoombie Apocalypse!

    Report this comment

    TORCH9  
  • taintso
    Posted on December 6, 2012 at 10:14pm

    Should be an easy job for our already experienced government, just educate the mosquitoes that homosexuality is normal, those won’t reproduce, and give the straight ones free birth control and abortions. Then tax the remaining out of the area.

    Report this comment

    taintso  
  • GuruMeditation
    Posted on December 6, 2012 at 10:13pm

    I am betting this will be a bad move.

    Report this comment

    GuruMeditation  
    • whatthecrazy
      Posted on December 7, 2012 at 12:49am

      I’m in.

      Report this comment

      whatthecrazy  
    • Wilma
      Posted on December 7, 2012 at 8:58am

      I am a bit skeptical about the ” non- biting ” part.

      Dengue has been a problem in Cuba, just ninety miles south for years. The government denies it to protect its tourism industry.

      Report this comment

      Wilma  
  • Small World
    Posted on December 6, 2012 at 10:02pm

    I’m sure it’s for the greater good. Not nice to fool mother nature.

    Report this comment

    Small World  
  • Desertlakesflying
    Posted on December 6, 2012 at 10:02pm

    How about we do something about the porous border problem first? They think they irradiated diseases, and then are shocked and amazed when they come back, and they can’t figure out why. I have an answer for them……The steady flow of disease ridden criminals that come into this country on a daily basis is the problem you idiots.

    Report this comment

    Desertlakesflying  
  • mbean
    Posted on December 6, 2012 at 9:57pm

    Sounds like a straight to DVD movie on the SyFy channel. What could go wrong?

    Report this comment

    mbean  
  • RaydocX
    Posted on December 6, 2012 at 9:56pm

    So the vector used to alter the DNA can be spread to man and beast? This risks making us all easily mutated… Ie get cancer.

    Remember killer bees?
    Think I am legend.

    Sadly when scientists seek to ‘fix’ mother nature they too often overlook something seemingly insignificant, but which becomes a huge problem.

    Report this comment

    RaydocX  
  • crackerone
    Posted on December 6, 2012 at 9:38pm

    Maybe they should experiment with killer bee’s and/or democract’s first?

    Report this comment

    crackerone  
  • LaBelle
    Posted on December 6, 2012 at 9:31pm

    I would not allow this in a million years. There are already these bugs in FL called “love bugs” they infest FL twice a year and there is no way to kill them and birds wont eat them. The only way to kill them is to hit them with your vehicle or swat them of course but the point is, who the freak unleashed THOSE onto FL. Besides, all of the times I’ve been to KeyWest I’ve never seen a mosquito, they are always inland, the ocean breeze seems to keep mosquitoes away from the coastal areas.

    Report this comment

    LaBelle  
    • macpappy
      Posted on December 6, 2012 at 9:39pm

      In Texas we have Love Bugs, but of course they are Texas sized.

      Report this comment

      macpappy  
    • booger71
      Posted on December 6, 2012 at 9:55pm

      Bad things happen when you mess with Mother Nature.

      Report this comment

      booger71  
    • DeeCee
      Posted on December 6, 2012 at 10:03pm

      @MacPappy

      …whew, what a mess they are too! Never seen any worse than the general area surrounding Nacogdoches and Lufkin… I can remember many times having to stop and wash my vehicle several times a day while traveling down in that area.

      Maybe genetically modified mosquitoes would be an improvement.

      Report this comment

      DeeCee  
  • DougHuffman
    Posted on December 6, 2012 at 9:30pm

    Am I the only one that remembers the connection between mosquitoes in Belle Glade, Florida and Human T-Lymphotropic Virus that was published in maybe the middle Eighties?

    Ah, yes – https://encrypted.google.com/search?hl=en&q=HTLV%20belle%20glade 5K hits

    Report this comment

    DougHuffman  
  • copatriots
    Posted on December 6, 2012 at 9:18pm

    Why don’t we ever hear when their braniac science experiments fail?

    I say test the altered bloodsuckers first in D.C. then let’s examine the results.

    Report this comment

     
    • whatthecrazy
      Posted on December 7, 2012 at 12:58am

      @Copatriots i think we seen those when they wash up on the beach,remember those hideous things that look like the devils spawn?I bet it is the work of evil scientist.

      Report this comment

      whatthecrazy  
  • Cuthalu
    Posted on December 6, 2012 at 9:18pm

    The term “train-wreck” comes to mind.

    Report this comment

    Cuthalu  
  • theywillcome
    Posted on December 6, 2012 at 9:17pm

    Back in the 60′s sterilized screw worm flies were released in south Florida to rid the area of screw worms. It later was done in Texas. Screw worms have been eradicated in Texas. Sounds like a good Idea.

    Report this comment

    theywillcome  
    • copatriots
      Posted on December 6, 2012 at 9:31pm

      Hi newbie. Where you writing from outside the U.S.?

      Be ever so kind to be a test dummy and get bitten by one of these mosquitoes to let the rest of us know if it really is a good idea. Thanks!

      Report this comment

       
    • 12strikes
      Posted on December 6, 2012 at 10:00pm

      It says they won’t bite, so I don’t see how he could be a test dummy.

      Report this comment

      12strikes  
    • Elena2010
      Posted on December 6, 2012 at 11:34pm

      They did the same in California citrus country w/sterilized med flies.

      Report this comment

      Elena2010  
    • dflocks80
      Posted on December 7, 2012 at 12:02am

      Screwworms were eliminated from the entire Southeast. This technology is a step up from sterilization via irradiation. With the screwworms, sterile males were released in hopes they would “shoot blanks” and therefore cause the females to lay infertile eggs. It worked.

      This technology, which instead of relying on “blank shooting” instead creates offspring that die before being able to cause harm to humans. It has been successfully tested in the Grand Caymans, so this is no “guinea pig” type of release. No one criticizing this program has clue what they’re talking about. They seem to base their beliefs either on works of fiction (Jurassic Park, for instance) or draw unequal parallels with things such as Africanized Honey Bees.

      Report this comment

      dflocks80  
    • copatriots
      Posted on December 7, 2012 at 9:55pm

      Okay…….I concede that we are being told these mosquitoes won’t bite or won’t carry a disease if the scientists are wrong.

      Now then do you really believe what you are being told by this government?

      Report this comment

       
    • dflocks80
      Posted on December 8, 2012 at 4:26pm

      Well, let’s factor government out of it. Oxitec, the company who developed this technology to alter mosquitoes, is private and for profit. In fact, you can find a lot of lib sites with their collective panties in a wad fuming over their business success of Oxitec (disguised as concern over the environment, of course). They have prewritten letters you can submit to Oxitec and all that other good stuff. That should be a signal to the conservatives and libertarians among us that maybe this isn’t all bad.

      As for the mosquitoes not biting, I am here to tell you, as a libertarian who has just finished his first semester towards his masters in entomology, male mosquitoes WILL NOT bite. Not only do they not feed on blood, they are not physiologically capable of taking blood meal. This technology has fantastic implications for safe pest control.

      Report this comment

      dflocks80  
  • its_the_end_of_the_world_as_we_know_it
    Posted on December 6, 2012 at 9:17pm

    Mosquitoes with a post-birth-abortion gene… yeah, nobody wants that to sread into the human race I’ll bet.

    Report this comment

    its_the_end_of_the_world_as_we_know_it  
  • dealer@678
    Posted on December 6, 2012 at 9:17pm

    Just what we need, West Nile on roids

    Report this comment

    dealer@678  
    • whatthecrazy
      Posted on December 7, 2012 at 1:13am

      Now thats funny,until they land here in lousyanna as they are already the size of small birds here.

      Report this comment

      whatthecrazy  
  • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
    Posted on December 6, 2012 at 9:04pm

    Okay, why do I see so many ways this stuff can go dramatically wrong.

    Report this comment

    Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
    • macpappy
      Posted on December 6, 2012 at 9:41pm

      Well, at least they are drilling to kill the zombies that will be caused by these critters.

      Report this comment

      macpappy  
    • revelation2012
      Posted on December 6, 2012 at 10:02pm

      Snow -

      there are things that I’ve learned that shake me to my core

      Praise the Lord – how long ,,,

      Report this comment

      revelation2012  
    • BetsyRoss1513
      Posted on December 7, 2012 at 10:53am

      Yes, like the few GM-mosquitos they release into the wild become fish- or bat-food.

      smdh. Just another waste of money.

      Report this comment

      BetsyRoss1513  
  • toomuchgovt
    Posted on December 6, 2012 at 9:01pm

    We is it every time the govt. and “scientist” decide they can “create nature” it never ends up good. GMO anyone?

    Report this comment

    toomuchgovt  
  • noslave
    Posted on December 6, 2012 at 8:52pm

    their called politically corect progressive obama supporters(they used to be happy with phones,etc.)look at the arrogance now by councilwoman from detroit?this is only the beginning??

    Report this comment

    noslave  
  • Smokey_Bojangles
    Posted on December 6, 2012 at 8:49pm

    And in ten years we have a Killer Virus spread by these Mosquitoes that are the size of buses?
    NO THANK YOU!

    Report this comment

    Smokey_Bojangles  
  • ares338
    Posted on December 6, 2012 at 8:49pm

    They’re actually going to turn Demcrats loose in Key West?

    Report this comment

    ares338  
    • Elena2010
      Posted on December 6, 2012 at 11:37pm

      You’ve never been to Key West, have you? There are 3 types of permanent residents: old locals (a dwindling group), gays (lots of AIDS patients), and Sailors.

      Key West is already infected w/plenty of progressives and Dems.

      Report this comment

      Elena2010  
  • georgesgirl
    Posted on December 6, 2012 at 8:46pm

    Genetically altered insects that drink our blood…I don’t know what could go wrong here.

    Report this comment

    georgesgirl  
  • Lillith66
    Posted on December 6, 2012 at 8:41pm

    Oh cra@p, I have seen this movie. It doesn’t end well!

    Report this comment

    Lillith66  
1 2 3

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