EFL Home

GM Mosquitoes

Genetically Modified mosquitoes could soon be released into the wild in an attempt to combat malaria. Scientists at Imperial College London, who created the GM insects, say they could wipe out natural mosquito populations and save thousands of lives in malaria-stricken regions. The team added a gene that makes male mosquitoes fluorescent, allowing scientists to distinguish and easily separate them from females. The plan is to breed, sterilise and release millions of these male insects so that they mate with wild females but produce no offspring, eradicating insects in the target region within weeks. The mosquitoes are ready for testing in the wild. This is a technology that works and could make a real difference. The beauty is that it's very specific. Unlike insecticides, sterile males target only the species you want to attack. Mosquitoes that spread malaria have long been a target for sterile male technology.
The team supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) altered the DNA of the mosquito species Anopheles stephensi, the principal carrier of malaria. The next step is to provide the millions of GM insects needed to make a large-scale release effective.
The strategy depends on female mosquitoes, which mate only once in their two-week lifespan, choosing sterile males.

David Adam, The Guardian Weekly, Oct. 14-20, 2005.