Genetically engineered mosquitoes can arrive in San Bernardino County – San Bernardino San

Genetically manipulated mosquito You may come to San Bernardino County in the next two years.

on SundayOn March 6, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved an license for the UK company Oxitec to release recombinant mosquitoes in San Bernardino County, along with Fresno, Stanislaus, and Turea counties.

Mosquitoes are a modification of Aedes aegypti and can carry the invading species Aedes aegypti. West nile virus, Zika fever, dengue fever, chikungunya fever, yellow fever and other serious illnesses. When modified mosquitoes breed with normal female Aedes aegypti, they do not produce viable female larvae. Originally native to South America, Aedes aegypti has been discovered in California for the past 10 years..

“All of these eggs hatch, but only male larvae survive until they become adults,” said Rajeev Vaidyanathan, director of Oxford-based Oxitec’s US program. “All female offspring die as larvae, so this is a way to get rid of invading mosquitoes.”

This experiment is an extension of the ongoing test in the Florida Keys and the previous test in Brazil.

“In California, this is a very different habitat. It’s dry, hot and dry,” said Vidianasan. “And we want mosquitoes to survive, fly and mate in a very different environment than Florida.”

The death of a female mosquito not only limits the overall population of mosquitoes, but also directly prevents the possibility of mosquito bites and the spread of the disease.

“Female mosquitoes bite and eat blood,” said Vidianasan. “Male mosquitoes don’t even have a mouth to chew.”

Proponents of the San Francisco-based non-profit food safety center say the EPA’s approval of the license ignores Oxitec’s method issues.

According to Jay Dee Hanson, Policy Director, International Technology Assessment Center and Food Safety Center, Oxytech experiments need to be conducted in a controlled environment, rather than simply releasing mosquitoes to the outside world. This means that you can know the number of mosquitoes back and forth, and spraying to kill mosquitoes does not give the false impression that the modified mosquitoes are more effective than they really are.

According to Vaidyanathan, previous Oxitec tests showed a 98% reduction in Aedes aegypti in the region. The Food Safety Center is skeptical of that claim.

“What we wanted to see was close to what Oxytech and the USDA did with the release of diamondback moth in New York,” Hanson said. Another invasive species, the diamondback moth, likes to eat holes in cabbage crops. “What (the department) did was, in part, at our prompt, a tented test. Try to duplicate the insect-releasing environment as much as possible to see what happens. There is a closed environment. “

And there is another problem: the four counties that are set to release the modified Aedes aegypti are all farming counties.A spray used to protect crops Citrus greening disease, Inland Empire’s orange crop worries include tetracycline. According to Hansen, that’s a problem.

“These mosquitoes are genetically engineered to stay alive if they have access to tetracycline,” he said. “If female mosquitoes have access to tetracycline, they can stay alive and breed.”

Oxitec will only release male mosquitoes as part of the experiment.

Unlike Europe, Oxitec is allowed to keep key findings secret when experiments are conducted in the United States.

“Most of the environmental impacts are (reportedly) blacked out, and for me most of all discussions about allergic reactions to these mosquitoes are blacked out,” Hansen said. “If this is the best since sliced ​​bread, show me how to slice it …. I’m not saying you shouldn’t do this. The EPA set it for this experiment. I’m saying there aren’t enough parameters. “

If successful, the modified mosquitoes will be another tool for the government to fight Aedes aegypti instead of spraying pesticides.

“Do you think it’s less toxic overall? I hope so,” Hansen said. “I hope to feel better by disclosing all the effects on human health. I am a person who has an acute allergic reaction to things. I know when they will release these things. I want to. It’s just a basic human right to know. “

Oxitec’s license is valid until April 30, 2024. It is not clear when mosquitoes will be released in the county.

With the experiment approved by the federal government, the California Department of Agricultural Chemicals needs to take the initiative with the county authorities in the San Bernardino, Fresno, Stanislaus, and Turea counties.

“It’s like their leisure time,” said Vaidyanathan.