75 crore genetically modified mosquitoes to be released in US Florida

[poornima lagadapati]

In a big and new development, 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes will be released into the Florida Keys - a string of islands - in 2021 and 2022. The plan has been approved by local authorities, on Saturday. As per reports, the mosquito, named OX5034, has been altered to produce female offspring that die in the larval stage, before hatching and growing large enough to bite and spread disease. Only the female mosquito bites for blood, which she needs to mature her eggs. Males feed only on nectar and are thus not a carrier for the disease, report states. The plan is by Oxitec biotechnology company.The plan was approved by the Environment Protection Agency in May. The report suggest that the plan is to test if a genetically modified mosquito is a viable alternative to spraying insecticides to control the Aedes aegypti, which spread several deadly diseases - Zika, dengue, and chikungunya

 

[Himanshi Agarwal]

GMO mosquitoes are that have been implanted with a gene or bacteria which was not originally present or naturally occurring in the insect. In one case, the implant in question is a self-limiting gene that disrupts the normal processes of mosquitoes' offspring.