The Brazilian government have decided in a 2-year trial to test genetically modified variant of the male mosquito Aedes aegypti that's common in the northeastern Brazil to combat the spread of dengue fever. Dengue is endemic in three of the host cities for this summer's World Cup. "We need to provide the government alternatives because the system we are using now in Brazil doesn't work," says Aldo Malavasi, president of Moscamed, the Brazilian company that's running the trial from a lab just outside of Jacobina.
The mosquitoes in the lab have their genes modified in the lab such that their offspring dies. Only the female mosquitoes bite, so only male mosquitoes are released which mate with wild females and produce offspring that die before they can reproduce. The technique is developed by the British company Oxitec with roots in Syngenta and GeneWatch points out that Oxitec are not totally transparent about the potential risks (like spontaneous DNA alterations).
(Score: 2) by nightsky30 on Wednesday April 30 2014, @11:05AM
From the same amazing country that brought us killer bees...
Killer bees aren't more poisonous, just much more aggressive. And they weren't genetically modified using today's techniques, just cross bread for the traits someone thought they wanted like increased honey production. But with that increased production came the increased aggression. And the bees were accidentally released. They spread from Brazil all the way up to the southern US.
So not even considering the affect on other wildlife(surge in pest populations if left unchecked by mosquitoes), why do we think it's a good idea to genetically modify organisms that already carry diseases and release them into the wild? I don't care if they die sooner. It's the question of what else has been modified that bothers me.
(Score: 2) by Geezer on Wednesday April 30 2014, @11:32AM
Stink bugs. Stink bugs need to be next. Please.