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Genetically Modified Mosquitoes to Fight Dengue

January 25, 2008 at 11:19 AM Dengue News

Genetic modification is being pressed into service to fight tropical diseases that have remained intractable.

Oxitec, a British biotech company claims genetically modified mosquitoes, which are programmed for sudden, early death, can control the spread of dengue fever.

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It says it can decimate mosquito populations by breeding genetically modified male mosquitoes, then releasing them to mate with wild females. Their offspring contain lethal genes that kill them young, before they can reproduce. Company officials told Wired News that their latest test results show that the genetically modified bugs could breed just as well as wild ones.

"We will be able to control dengue through controlling the mosquitoes that transmit it, especially in large urban areas," said the company's chief scientist Luke Alphey. "Thereby protecting many, many millions of people from this disease."

If the scientists can replicate their results in real field conditions, their technology could kill half of the next generation of dengue mosquitoes, which, scientists say, would significantly reduce the spread of the disease. If all goes well, the company envisions releasing the insects in Malaysia on a large scale in three years.

But environmentalists are not convinced of the safety of the technology. "Releasing millions of genetically modified terminator mosquitoes into wild ecosystems amounts to a reckless and uncontrolled experiment with a risky technology," said Jim Thomas, of the ETC Group, a technology watchdog. "Oxitec's (project) abandons all pretense of containment or possible recall. I wonder what sort of liability they are willing to assume if something goes wrong?"

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Genetically Modified Mosquitoes to Fight Dengue

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