Time Running Out For Genetic Mosquito Input

By Terry Schmida

The long-running debate over whether or not to release genetically modified mosquitoes in the Lower Keys could be just about over. And it looks like the skeeters may indeed fly.
Early last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine announced a “preliminary finding of no significant impact”(FONSI) on the Oxitec corporation’s OX513A Aedes aegypti mosquito, one of the final hurdles faced by the British biotech company as it seeks to release hundreds of thousands of the insects on Key Haven.
The finding launched a 30-day public review and comment period, beginning Monday, March 14, which draws to a close later this week.
The debate, over whether or not the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District (FKMCD) should employ the GMO mosquitoes in the fight against diseases such as dengue fever, chikungunya and now the zika virus, has been a long and bitter one, many local residents loudly opposing a measure seen as a common sense move by many district officials.
Oxitec planned to release genetically modified male mosquitoes, which do not bite or spread disease, to mate with non-modified females. The offspring from this union inherit a self-limiting gene, and die before they have a chance to reproduce – or spread disease.
The company has previously reported success in controlling insect populations during other field tests in Panama, the Cayman Islands, and Brazil, and the FKMCD appeared to be receptive to the idea of allowing the proposed release to proceed.
However, the wider controversy in the U.S. And around the world about the wisdom of tampering with Mother Nature, has spilled over into the local debate about pest mosquito control.
At the most recent district board meeting where the issue was discussed, a number of Key Haven residents showed up to voice their disapproval, citing concerns about potential side effects, such as the inadvertent release of female GMO mosquitoes. Some fear these females could then breed with their male counterparts, creating uncertainty, rather than simply mating with non-modified males and dying off, as planned. The issue is being widely discussed on social media, and has been the subject of numerous articles and television reports in both the national and international media.
Still, Mosquito Control District Executive Director Michael Doyle remains convinced the GMO mosquitoes have a role to play in mosquito control in the Keys.
“We need to be proactive when it comes to controlling the Aedes aegypti mosquito,” Doyle wrote in a recent press release. “Our ultimate goal is to reduce the population of the Aedes aegypti mosquito to a point where it cannot transmit diseases such as dengue, chikungunya and zika.
“A small trial like this is designed to see if highly reducing the population is possible with this technology here in the Keys. If so, we will then look at larger trial areas. The Aedes aegypti is the toughest mosquito to control and FKMCD is looking at several different technologies. These technologies, however, take several years to develop and currently Oxitec is the furthest along.”
Members of the public who have not already done so, may email questions, concerns or other comments on the report by accessing the link to the FONSI at the Mosquito Control website, at http://www.keysmosquito.org.
For more information on the planned release, or other mosquito related topics, call the district at 305-292-7190, or email [email protected].
[livemarket market_name="KONK Life LiveMarket" limit=3 category=“” show_signup=0 show_more=0]