750 million genetically engineered mosquitoes to be released in Florida

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US authorities have approved a plan to release more than 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes across the Florida Keys, despite objections from local residents. British-based firm Oxitec are behind the project, that will test whether the altered mosquitoes can work as an alternative to pesticides to control the spread of diseases, such as Zika, dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever.

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The male mosquito, which is named OX5034, has been created to produce female offspring that die at larval stage, before they grow big enough to spread disease and bite.

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The mosquitoes will only be released in the Florida Keys in 2020, but will be expanded into Harris County, Texas in 2021, after the Environmental Protection Agency granted Oxitec’s request for an experimental use permit.

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This project will be the first of its kind in the US, but follows on from a similar trial in Brazil in 2016, where researchers recorded a decline in disease-carrying mosquitoes and found they did not cause harm to other insects.

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Since the initial announcement of the project in May, more than 230,000 people have signed a petition against the proposal, which was supported by more than 30 local physicians. Local media reported that residents were unhappy to be treated as “guinea pigs” for the experiment, as the petition claimed that the “GMO (genetically modified organisms) mosquitoes could pose major risks to fragile ecosystems.”

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