Reengineered mosquitoes released in Florida pilot program
Modified males deployed to curb disease-carrying species
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By Shen Wu Tan
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The Washington Times
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Thursday, May 6, 2021
Genetically engineered mosquitoes have been released in the U.S. for the first time in the Florida Keys, with hopes of quelling wild, disease-carrying mosquito populations in the region.
British-based biotech firm Oxitec genetically engineered Aedes aegypti non-biting male mosquitoes to carry a lethal gene that gets passed onto their offspring when they mate with wild biting female mosquitoes. The offspring are unable to survive, hence controlling the population of disease-carrying species, according to the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District (FKMCD), one of the entities that approved the firm’s project.