GM mosquito trial will not significantly impact environment-FDA

Oxitec CEO Hadyn Perry said the FDA’s approval of the field trial should lead to discussions about fast-tracking releases elsewhere during a public health crisis.

Zika is mainly spread by mosquitoes, as well as sex. If confirmed, the cases would mark the first time that mosquitoes carrying the virus are known to be present in the mainland United States.

Genetically modified mosquitoes that could help to fight the spread of the Zika virus may soon be released in the Florida Keys after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday in its final assessment that a field test of the insects would have “no significant impact” on the environment.

The Oxitec Florida trial would run for between six and 22 months, with a goal of determining whether wild Aedes aegypti females, the gender that bites, will mate with the company’s “OX513A” males, which are created to produce offspring which do not fully mature, thus undercutting the mosquito population.

In Key Haven, a suburb of large, waterfront homes near Key West where the trial is slated to take place, yard signs have popped up declaring “no consent” to the release of genetically modified mosquitoes.

The Zika virus can cause severe birth defects if contracted by a pregnant woman. The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District wants to test them on an island north of Key West.

Intrexon’s Oxitec unit has been working for years to kick off a trial of the mosquitoes in the Florida Keys to assess the effectiveness of its mosquitoes to reduce levels of mosquitoes that carry diseases, including Zika, dengue, Yellow Fever and chikungunya.

In a detailed report, the FDA says using the genetically modified mosquitoes will pose no significant threat to the environment or to people. The insect is genetically engineered so its offspring will die before reaching adulthood.

The prospect of releasing the mosquitoes in the Florida Keys has stirred strong opposition among many residents, and a petition against them on change.org has garnered more than 168,000 signatures.