Field testing approved for GM mosquitoes

Beware, GM mosquitoes will be here soon. I wonder how the ecosystem will be affected. Disaster in waiting?

--------

October 11, 2010
Star

KUALA LUMPUR: The National Biosafety Board has approved the release of genetically-modified Aedes mosquitoes for field testing, Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said.

However, the decision would still need Cabinet approval, he said.

“Clinical trial at the laboratory level was successful and the biosafety committee has approved it for testing in a controlled environment,” he said.

The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry would present it to the Cabinet for approval, he told a media conference at the 61st session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific here yesterday.

The board had assessed the field experiment proposal from the Institute of Medical Research to release the mosquitoes in Bentong, Pahang, and Alor Gajah, Malacca, in early October.

Male Aedes Aegypti would be genetically-modified and when mated with female Aedes mosquitoes in the environment, it is hoped the killer genes would cause the larvae to die. (The Aedes Aegypti mosquito can spread the dengue fever, Chikungunya and yellow fever viruses).

“We see it as the most efficient and fastest way in eradicating Aedes mosquitoes from our local environment,” Liow said, adding that Aedes is not a species endemic to Malaysia.

However, he said, dengue posed a major concern in Malaysia because the number of cases has increased by more than 25% this year.

Liow said his ministry was taking the disease seriously because it was not only a health issue but also an environmental hazard.

WHO Western Pacific regional director Dr Shin Young-soo said Malaysia is leading in the research in this area but cautioned that care be taken in introducing a new species to the environment.

He said global experts on tropical diseases research would discuss the issue soon and decide on what they would do with the new development.

Man plays God again

If the authorities are really compentent, the problem of mosquitoes is quite simple. The increase of mosquitoes are mainly due to the number of foreign workers, increase in rubber price and the "tidak apa" (couldn't care) attitude of Government servants.

Let me point you to the source of the mosquitoes problems:-

1. Check every foreign workers' squatters, especially the illegals found in the estates and forests

2. Construction sites

3. Rubber estates

4. All outdoor government departments - and even Penang General Hospital's drains (Yes this one is real and I personally saw it with my naked eyes - go see for yourself during the dry season)

There you are, no need to play God, just do your job!

---------

'Don't release new strain of Aedes mosquitoes'
Fri, 20 Aug 2010 06:00
By G Vinod

PETALING JAYA: A plan to release about 3,000 genetically modified Aedes mosquitoes into the environment may be just the weapon needed to curb the spread of the deadly dengue fever. The National Biosafety Board (NBB) is studying the plan in view of the alarming number of lives lost in the country to the infectious disease.

But the Third World Network (TWN), an independent non-profit international body involved in issues relating to development, has sounded a warning: don't jump the gun.

It has urged the NBB to reject the plan, saying the new non-biting male Aedes mosquitoes from the OX513A strain may cause other environmental problems.

The TWN said that a number of factors must be considered before such a move is undertaken.

The NBB is assessing a field experiment proposal from the Institute of Medical Research to release the mosquitoes in Bentong, Pahang, and Alor Gajah, Malacca, in early October.

It is hoped that the genetically-modified OX513A male mosquitoes will mate with the female strain, causing its progeny to be dead and thus eventually reduce the number of Aedes mosquitoes.

Currently, NBB is seeking public opinion over the matter in its website, www.biosafety.nre.gov.my and the deadline is Sept 4.

“Although the board is seeking public opinion, many other factors must be taken into account before releasing them (mosquitoes),”said TWN's senior researcher Lim Li Ching.

She said that one important factor to be considered is that the progeny of the mosquitoes will only be dead provided the environment is free of an antibiotic called tetracycline.

“However, tetracycline is fairly common as it is used for medical, veterinary, lifestock and agricultural purposes.

“If the mosquitoes breed in the presence of this antibiotic, the progeny may live and may increase the Aedes population in the environment,” said Lim.

Subsequently, the living progeny may pose additional health risks, being the by-product of a genetically modified male.

“These new Aedes mosquitoes may then cause another environmental problem as it may alter the way the disease (dengue) is transmitted,” said Lim.

New strain a concern

Lim added that even if the strategy is effective in suppressing the population of the Aedes mosquitoes in the long run, it may open the gateway to another health problem.

“In a natural ecological cycle, when one species goes down, another takes its place. There is concern that once you suppress the Aedes mosquitoes, another strain may take over their place and cause further harm to humans,” said Lim.

She also has a word of caution for the government: don't jump the gun by releasing the genetically modified insects into the environment because even the international community is wary of it.

“The international community is still debating about the safety of genetically modified food products and here we are planning to release genetically modified insects,” she said.

Lim also questioned whether Malaysia has adequate capacity to control this proposed release.

“Are we able to recall the genetically-modified mosquitoes to control the situation if anything goes wrong?” she asked.

Source here

Fear over impact on ecological system

The new Selangor government is a responsible government. Syabas!

New Straits Times

2008/05/01
Selangor govt against use of GM mosquitos

KUALA LUMPUR: The Selangor government yesterday "strongly objected" to the release of genetically-modified (GM) Aedes mosquitos to fight dengue.

State executive councillor for health, estate workers, poverty and caring government Dr A. Xavier Jayakumar said the release of such mosquitos was a reckless and uncontrolled experiment with risky technology.

He said past research on other GM insects had failed even in the field trial stage.

He also said that all previous tests by the Institute of Medical Research (IMR) had only been carried out in strictly controlled environments.

"Therefore, there is no way of evaluating the ecological damage and environmental impact of releasing the GM mosquitos.

"Science has shown that the ecological damage caused by releasing genetically modified organisms is very often irreversible," he said in a statement.

The New Sunday Times had reported that the IMR and a company partly owned by the University of Oxford would release "warrior" mosquitos in Pulau Ketam off Selangor to combat the dengue scourge.

Environmentalists had expressed fears that the release of GM Aedes mosquitos could cause more harm than good.

Xavier was concerned over the potential harm and long term consequences that the people would have to put up with, and pay for, if the experiment went awry.

New Straits Times
2008/04/27

ENVIRONMENTALISTS are not against new technologies to fight the dengue scourge but are against the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) which may cause more harm than good.

Acknowledging the need to progress with science, Cetdem's Gurmit Singh feared that the introduction of the GM mosquitoes into the wild to eliminate the aedes population could instead have serious consequences on the country's ecological system.

"And like all GMOs, once they are released into the wild, how do you prevent them from interacting or crossbreeding with other insects and producing mutants which may be worse than the aedes mosquito?" he asked.

"Although the technology sounds positive in getting rid of the dengue menace, we cannot take risks on a big scale because we really do not know the side effect these mosquitoes will have on other organisms and the eco-system.

"Unless they have done enough studies to ascertain the safety of the GM mosquito and until these questions are answered, I would be uncomfortable with the use of GMOs."

Fish and other insects such as the dragonfly feed on mosquito larvae.Gurmit also questioned why Pulau Ketam was chosen for the field tests.

"Is it because it is prone to dengue or is it because it is an island and therefore easier to control in the event something goes wrong?"

He said there should also be effective monitoring of the project if it is implemented and suggested that it be done by a broad group of independent researchers from around the world.

Malaysian Nature Society president Datuk Dr Salleh Mohd Nor said it would be dangerous "to release these GMOs into the wild with the hope that it would do the things it should do".

He said although scientists should not be stopped from carrying out trials and pioneering new technologies for the benefit of mankind, they should approach it with caution. "I'm concerned that releasing it into the wild without thoroughly understanding its implications may affect the ecology and cause other diseases to be transmitted."

Salleh also questioned whether the country was legally protected in the event something goes wrong with these field trials.

"These issues have not been raised. We need adequate laws to ensure there is a mechanism in place to protect the country under such circumstances."

Man Play God Again

I read the article “Engineered Mosquitoes Could Wipe Out Dengue Fever” and felt that our world is surely heading to the end. Man is playing God again. And the worst is that they are using Bolehland as the guineapig!

The article reads:
Scientists at a British biotech company said they have evidence that their genetically modified mosquitoes, which are programmed for sudden, early death, can control the spread of dengue fever. Dengue is carried by mosquitoes and is the scourge of urban areas in the developing world, much as malaria is in rural regions.
The company, Oxitec, said it can decimate mosquito populations by breeding genetically modified male mosquitoes, then releasing them to mate with wild females. Their offspring contain lethal genes that kill them young, before they can reproduce. Company officials told Wired News that their latest test results show that the genetically modified bugs can breed just as well as wild ones. "We will be able to control dengue through controlling the mosquitoes that transmit it, especially in large urban areas," said the company's chief scientist Luke Alphey. "Thereby protecting many, many millions of people from this disease." Mosquitoes pass dengue fever to up to 100 million people each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Up to 5 million die...”

If you have been into the virgin jungle in Malaysia, I bet that you hardly find any mosquito. If there is, then that place have been visited by human.

Perhaps you would like to know why?
Because in the jungle the bats feed freely on the mosquitoes.

Then why is it that when there are human, there are mosquitoes?
Because human cook with fire which smoked away the bats, and without bats, caused the over supply of mosquitoes.

This is only a simple ecosystem. What about other fauna and flora affected by the disappearing of mosquitoes? I can think of spiders getting extinct caused by the disappearing of mosquitoes.

Here are some comments from the net:

“…removing ANY organism from a local eco-system can cause a collapse of all organisims in it. We typically think of mosquitos as no-good insects, but I'm sure they have a place in the food cycles of other creatures who are also native to the area. Wiping out or dramatically reducing the mosquito population could affect the residents' main food supplies and then you have a different problem -- starving people, rather than sick people. The effect on crop pollination in fruits and vegetables as well as other potentially hazardous effects on the ecosystem? Such tinkering with nature is dangerous indeed - what would the company (and the country of Malaysia) do if their crops/fruits no longer fruited because they weren't pollinated. Also, how would these genetic mutants be contained in Malaysia (they couldn't) - their spread could cause many more problems than they solve. Should we allow a company to use Malaysia as a laboratory for such experiments? Who knows what unseen impact this will have on our ecological balance. I would be extremely cautious - and worried - about this initiative”.