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Brazil bred GM mosquitoes to combat dengue & zika - The mosquito population recovered, returning to nearly pre-release levels.

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  • Brazil bred GM mosquitoes to combat dengue & zika - The mosquito population recovered, returning to nearly pre-release levels.

    Brazil to breed GM mosquitoes to combat dengue

    July 10, 2012

    BRASILIA ? Brazil said it will breed huge numbers of genetically modified mosquitoes to help stop the spread of dengue fever, an illness that has already struck nearly 500,000 people this year nationwide.

    "Their offspring will not reach adulthood, which should reduce the population," it said in a statement.

    The new mosquitoes will be produced in a factory inaugurated on Saturday in the northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia. Four million insects will be churned out per week.

    The experiment has already been attempted in two mosquito-infested towns in Bahia, each with about 3,000 inhabitants.

    "Using this technique, we reduced the mosquito population by 90 percent in six months," the ministry said.
    More: AFP
    ?Addressing chronic disease is an issue of human rights ? that must be our call to arms"
    Richard Horton, Editor-in-Chief The Lancet

    ~~~~ Twitter:@GertvanderHoek ~~~ GertvanderHoek@gmail.com ~~~

  • #2
    Re: Brazil to breed GM mosquitoes to combat dengue

    machinetranslation

    Brazil: GM strains "reduce dengue mosquito population by 96%"

    Rodrigo de Oliveira Andrade
    12 June 2013 | ES


    [SAO PAULO] mosquito release genetically modified (GM) in the hamlet of Mandacaru, in Bahia, Brazil, reduced by 96 percent the population of Aedes aegypti mosquito, which transmits dengue, said in a statement (May 16) Oxitec Ltd., British biotechnology company specialized in the control of pests and insects that spread disease and destroy crops.

    In a study conducted by researchers at the University of Sao Paulo and the organization Medfly, both from Brazil, were released sterile mosquitoes strains two to three times a week for six months.


    Brasil: cepas GM reducen poblaci?n de mosquito del dengue

    Rodrigo de Oliveira Andrade
    12 June 2013 | ES

    [SAO PAULO] La liberaci?n de mosquitos gen?ticamente modificados (GM) en el villorrio de Mandacaru, en Bah?a, Brasil, redujo en 96 por ciento la poblaci?n del mosquito Aedes aegypti, transmisor del dengue, anunci? en un comunicado (16 de mayo) Oxitec Ltd., empresa brit?nica de biotecnolog?a especializada en el control de plagas e insectos que propagan enfermedades y destruyen cultivos.

    En un ensayo conducido por investigadores de la Universidad de Sao Paulo y de la organizaci?n Moscamed, ambas de Brasil, se liberaron cepas de mosquitos est?riles dos a tres veces por semana durante seis meses.

    SciDev.net
    ?Addressing chronic disease is an issue of human rights ? that must be our call to arms"
    Richard Horton, Editor-in-Chief The Lancet

    ~~~~ Twitter:@GertvanderHoek ~~~ GertvanderHoek@gmail.com ~~~

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Brazil to breed GM mosquitoes to combat dengue - GM strains "reduce dengue mosquito population by 96%"

      Source: http://www.pri.org/stories/2014-04-2...t-dengue-fever

      Brazilians welcome genetically-modified mosquito to help fight dengue fever
      PRI's The World
      Reporter John Otis
      April 25, 2014 ? 1:00 PM EDT

      ...with dengue endemic in three of the host cities for this summer?s World Cup , Brazilian health officials are trying a radical new approach ? biotechnology. They?ve begun a two-year trial release of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that have been genetically modified.

      ?We need to provide the government alternatives because the system we are using now in Brazil doesn?t work,? says Aldo Malavasi, president of Moscamed, the Brazilian company that?s running the trial from a lab just outside of Jacobina.

      The new breed of Aedes aegypti has been given a lethal gene. The deadly flaw is kept in check in the lab, but the mosquitos soon die in the wild.

      The strain, developed by the British company Oxitec, was the first genetically modified insect to be released in the wild ? during small tests in 2010. The program underway in Jacobina is its first large-scale field test...

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Brazil to breed GM mosquitoes to combat dengue - GM strains "reduce dengue mosquito population by 96%"

        I hope this is successful. Can you imagine if we could do this everywhere? We can but hope this will eventually become a reality.
        Please do not ask me for medical advice, I am not a medical doctor.

        Avatar is a painting by Alan Pollack, titled, "Plague". I'm sure it was an accident that the plague girl happened to look almost like my twin.
        Thank you,
        Shannon Bennett

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Brazil to breed GM mosquitoes to combat dengue - GM strains "reduce dengue mosquito population by 96%"

          Brazil releases dengue-blocking mosquito, hopes will be natural combatant for tropical disease

          September 24, 2014

          RIO DE JANEIRO ? Brazilian researchers have freed a batch of mosquitoes infected with a dengue-blocking bacteria they hope can combat the tropical disease naturally.

          Scientists at the Rio de Janeiro-based Fiocruz research institute are taking part in a global project to release the mosquitoes. Similar action has already taken place in Australia, Vietnam and Indonesia.

          The mosquitoes released Wednesday are infected with the Wolbachia bacteria that can block them from getting the highly infectious disease dengue and passing it to humans.

          It's hoped the bacteria will be passed through generations of mosquitoes and eventually wipe out the insects' ability to spread dengue.

          Star Tribune
          ?Addressing chronic disease is an issue of human rights ? that must be our call to arms"
          Richard Horton, Editor-in-Chief The Lancet

          ~~~~ Twitter:@GertvanderHoek ~~~ GertvanderHoek@gmail.com ~~~

          Comment


          • #6
            Use of genetically modified mosquitoes to kill disease-carrying vectors expands after success

            CARIBBEAN360 JANUARY 19, 2016

            OXFORD, England, Tuesday January, 19, 2016

            A project using genetically modified (GM) male mosquitoes to kill off the disease-carrying vectors is being expanded in Brazil, as the country battles an outbreak of Zika virus.


            The ?Friendly Aedes aegypti Project? which started in Piracicaba, Brazil is going further following strong results for controlling the Aedes aegypti mosquito population, the primary vector for dengue, chikungunya and Zika virus, it was announced today.

            The UK-based Oxitec, the world?s only GM insect company, is initiating a new mosquito production facility in Piracicaba that will have capacity to protect over 300,000 people.

            ?We are delighted Piracicaba is encouraged by our strong results and expanding the programme. Our new facility will support the roll out of our ground-breaking vector-control across the heart of the city and beyond,? said Oxitec?s chief executive officer, Hadyn Parry. ?As the principal source for the fastest growing vector-borne infection in the world in Dengue Fever, as well as the increasingly challenging Zika virus, controlling the Aedes aegypti population provides the best defence against these serious diseases for which there are no cures.?

            Following approval by Brazil?s National Biosafety Committee for releases throughout the country, Piracicaba?s CECAP/Eldorado district became the world?s first municipality to partner directly with Oxitec and in April 2015 started releasing its self-limiting mosquitoes whose offspring do not survive. Six million mosquitoes were released into the area of the city which has seen most dengue cases.

            When the genetically modified insect mates with a disease-causing wild female, they pass on a gene causing larvae to die before adulthood. By outnumbering the native males, the GM mosquito reduce the number of dengue-causing mosquitoes.

            By the end of the year, results had already indicated a reduction in wild mosquito larvae by 82 per cent. Oxitec?s efficacy trials across Brazil, Panama and the Cayman Islands all resulted in a greater than 90 per cent suppression of the wild Aedes aegypti mosquito population ? an unprecedented level of control.

            link to full article
            ?Addressing chronic disease is an issue of human rights ? that must be our call to arms"
            Richard Horton, Editor-in-Chief The Lancet

            ~~~~ Twitter:@GertvanderHoek ~~~ GertvanderHoek@gmail.com ~~~

            Comment


            • #7
              "Transgenic mosquitoes reduce diseases"

              July 17, 2016

              The number of cases of dengue-a caused by a virus that can cause hemorrhagic fevers mortal infection has fallen by 91% in a neighborhood of Piracicaba (Brazil) in which the authorities have released millions of GM mosquitoes, according to data from Service Epidemiological Surveillance of the city, 400,000 inhabitants.


              The disease is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito females, like the zika and chikungunya. GM mosquitoes have been genetically modified by the British company Oxitec so that their offspring are dependent on an antibiotic. Without it, they die before beating the larval stage. The millions of transgenic males displace wild and monopolize mating females, leading to offspring unable to survive.
              The apparent success of the project, called Friendly Aedes (Aedes Friendly), is the first evidence that the strategy reduces disease, but experts are cautious. "It is very encouraging," said Philip McCall, School of Tropical Medicine Liverpool, New Scientist magazine, though she says it is not a randomized controlled trial, a trial designed with scientific criteria. The first results, released in January, had already shown a reduction of mosquito larvae 82%.

              The district CECAP / Eldorado, with 5,000 residents, recorded 133 cases of dengue in the 2014-2015 season, compared to 12 cases last year, first with transgenic mosquitoes. According to the Epidemiological Surveillance Service, the rest of Piracicaba, without genetically modified insects, it reduced cases by 52% during the same period.

              "In the course of a year, we could reduce the incidence of dengue in more than 50% in Piracicaba, the result of a diligent to eliminate sources of standing water, the breeding of mosquito work," said Secretary city ​​health, Pedro Mello. "In CECAP / Eldorado, where we had the Aedes Friendly project, the reduction was extraordinary, exceeding 90%."

              In the district stage of the trial it has not been no case of zika or chikungunya. The lack of data on the reduction of mosquito-borne diseases is precisely one of the main criticisms of the anti-GMO organizations such as the British GeneWatch, who oppose the release of genetically modified insects nature.

              Los insectos han sido modificados gen?ticamente por la empresa brit?nica Oxitec para que sus cr?as sean dependientes de un...
              ?Addressing chronic disease is an issue of human rights ? that must be our call to arms"
              Richard Horton, Editor-in-Chief The Lancet

              ~~~~ Twitter:@GertvanderHoek ~~~ GertvanderHoek@gmail.com ~~~

              Comment


              • #8
                Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Are Breeding in Brazil, Despite Biotech Firm's Assurances to the Contrary

                sept 16, 2019

                An experimental trial to reduce the number of mosquitoes in a Brazilian town by releasing genetically modified mosquitoes has not gone as planned. Traces of the mutated insects have been detected in the natural population of mosquitoes, which was never supposed to happen.

                The deliberate release of 450,000 transgenic mosquitoes in Jacobina, Brazil has resulted in the unintended genetic contamination of the local population of mosquitoes, according to new research published last week in Scientific Reports. Going into the experimental trial, the British biotech company running the project, Oxitec, assured the public that this wouldn?t happen. Consequently, the incident is raising concerns about the safety of this and similar experiments and our apparent inability to accurately predict the outcomes.
                ................................................


                That genetic material from OX513A has bled into the native species does not pose any known health risks to the residents of Jacobina, but it is the ?unanticipated outcome that is concerning,?

                ............................................

                As the researchers note in the study, the Oxitec scheme worked at first, resulting in a dramatic reduction in the size of the mosquito population. But at the 18-month mark, the population began to recover, returning to nearly pre-release levels. According to the paper, this was on account of a phenomenon known as ?mating discrimination,? in which females of the native species began to avoid mating with modified males.



                Original study
                An experimental trial to reduce the number of mosquitoes in a Brazilian town by releasing genetically modified mosquitoes has not gone as planned. Traces of the mutated insects have been detected in the natural population of mosquitoes, which was never supposed to happen.
                ?Addressing chronic disease is an issue of human rights ? that must be our call to arms"
                Richard Horton, Editor-in-Chief The Lancet

                ~~~~ Twitter:@GertvanderHoek ~~~ GertvanderHoek@gmail.com ~~~

                Comment


                • #9
                  Scientists Admit Flawed Experiment May Have Created ‘Super Mosquitoes’

                  By Inigo Monzon

                  11/21/19

                  A team of scientists revealed that an experiment that released millions of genetically-modified mosquitoes into the wild to curb the populations of disease-carrying mosquitoes has backfired. A study revealed the genetic traits of the “super mosquitoes” have been passed on to the native species.

                  Over the course of more than two years, British biotech firm Oxitec released 450,000 genetically altered male mosquitoes every week in the city of Jacobina in Brazil. Before they were released, the mosquitoes were transgenically modified to carry a lethal gene designed to reduce the population of the native species.

                  The experiment was carried out in response to the city’s growing issue of mosquito-borne diseases such as yellow fever, Zika, dengue and chikungunya. Oxitec was hoping that the strain carried by its genetically modified mosquitoes would kill off the disease-carrying bugs in the city.

                  Unfortunately, a study conducted on the results of the experiment revealed that the lethal gene did not work as planned. According to the authors of the study, it did not kill off the offspring of the regular and genetically altered mosquitoes.


                  “The claim as that genes from the release strain would not get into the general population because offspring would die," Jeffrey Powell, the lead author of the study said in a statement. “That obviously was not what happened.”

                  In addition to not dying, the new generation of mosquitos also displayed genetic traits that are similar to the transgenic mosquitoes. The unfavorable result of the experiment sparked fears that it could create a new breed of mosquitoes with genetic traits that might make them more resistant to current anti-mosquito solutions.

                  A team of scientists revealed that an experiment that released millions of genetically-modified mosquitoes into the wild to curb the populations of disease-carrying mosquitoes has backfired.
                  ?Addressing chronic disease is an issue of human rights ? that must be our call to arms"
                  Richard Horton, Editor-in-Chief The Lancet

                  ~~~~ Twitter:@GertvanderHoek ~~~ GertvanderHoek@gmail.com ~~~

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Concerns over GM mosquitoes released in Brazil

                    Sep 18 2019

                    A team of researchers at Yale University and collaborators in Brazil have said a field experiment that released genetically modified mosquitoes to control natural populations of the insect may have had unintended consequences.

                    According to a genetic analysis the team conducted in the area, the modified mosquitoes have bred with wild mosquitoes and produced viable, hybrid insects.

                    “The claim was that genes from the release strain would not get into the general population because offspring would die,” says study author Jeffrey Powell, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at Yale University. “That obviously was not what happened.”
                    A field experiment that released genetically modified mosquitoes in Brazil to control natural populations of the insect may have had unintended consequences.
                    ?Addressing chronic disease is an issue of human rights ? that must be our call to arms"
                    Richard Horton, Editor-in-Chief The Lancet

                    ~~~~ Twitter:@GertvanderHoek ~~~ GertvanderHoek@gmail.com ~~~

                    Comment

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