Cases of Dengue Drop 91 Percent Due to Genetically Modified Mosquitoes

[progressoid]

Once again, a technique that modifies insects in order to control their populations has been proven effective. RIDL, which stands for Release of Insects carrying a Dominant Lethal, has been applied to diamondback moths, Mediterranean fruit flies, and olive flies, and it has been used in field trials on mosquitoes in order to reduce cases of dengue.

...

Using this technique, scientists have reduced the cases of dengue, which can be deadly, by 91% in a neighborhood called CECAP/Eldorado in the city Piracicaba, which is located in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. There were only 12 cases of dengue in the area, versus 133 cases the previous year. Surrounding areas also saw a reduction of dengue cases by 52%.

This is good news not only for potential victims of dengue, but also for people who may be susceptible to Zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever because the mosquito that transmits dengue — Aedes aegypti — also transmits these other diseases. The Brazilian health authorities and Oxitec, the company that produces the mosquitoes, call this undertaking the Friendly™ Aedes project.

...

Friendly™ Aedes mosquitoes have been used in Piracicaba since April 30, 2015, when the first insects were released in CECAP/Eldorado. By January 2016, the technology had already reduced the number of wild Aedes aegypti larvae by 82% in the treated area, compared to a non-treated area.

This novel way of reducing the mosquito population has the added benefit of reducing the use of chemical insecticides. Scientists saw similar reductions of dengue in previous trials in the Cayman Islands in 2010 and in a suburb called Juazeiro, which is located in the state of Bahia in Brazil.

https://entomologytoday.org/2016/07/14/cases-of-dengue-drop-91-due-to-genetically-modified-mosquitoes/

[HeartoftheMidwest]

1. Reducing disease is a big plus.

Reducing the use of pesticides will have many positive effects throughout the region.

But have any studies been done on the impact of ( that species of ) mosquito reduction/decimation on other dependent species?? Mosquitoes feed a lot of other creatures. ( I can't find anything specific about it right now. )

[Igel]

2. The altered mosquitoes are really from just one species.

They don't interbreed.

The species targeted are invasive, non-native. Kill them off in the New World and all you're doing is letting the original ecosystem recover.

Fortunately, for mosquitoes we have no horse crap. Horses are invasive in North America, but they have a lot of "cute idiocy" as a side effect that causes otherwise normal environmentalists to say, "Aaaawww!" instead of "they're invasive and have reshaped the ecosystem, driving other species to near extinction." And that's crap.

[HeartoftheMidwest]

3. Excellent.

However, looks like the line between invasive/native will be blurring considerably, due to climate change. We already have biting flies in the Upper Midwest this summer that are native to Florida. Doubt they'll survive our winter, but as each winter gets warmer, there are serious concerns about the future, yes?