Do You Prefer WMP’s Wolbachia Method Or GM Mosquitoes?
Dear Friends & Neighbors,
(Please click on red links & note magenta)
For updated global info & data on COVID-19, please click HERE. For updated global data & graphs on COVID-19, please click HERE. For COVID-19 cases and death counts in USA by state, please click HERE. For COVID-19 cases in Florida via Florida COVID Action, please click HERE. For COVID-19 cases in Florida, via Florida state government, please click HERE.After our previous post on 750 Million Genetically Modified Mosquitoes To Be Released In Florida Keyswas circulated, some of our readers are very concerned. One of which, Andrew Kramer, submitted this message, in italics, below:
The same company, Oxitec, previously released a different genetically modified mosquito, OX513A, which they claimed would be all male and wouldn’t have any offspring that survived to adults. They were wrong they did release females and the offspring did survive, and it’s backed up by peer reviewed evidence. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-49660-6
The genes introduced, based on E.coli and Herpes, tTAV, and coral, DsRed2, code for proteins that have sequences identical to known human inhalant allergens. That means they will likely increase the number and/or severity of type I respiratory disorders.
tTAV is also known to be toxic to rodents and cause other health problems.
The parent of these mosquitoes were also reared in tetracycline. This means there is a good chance these mosquitoes harbor tetracycline resistant bacteria. Since tetracycline is used to treat humans with MRSA, for example, this is a serious concern. It is such a concern that dozens of doctors in the Keys have signed a petition to test these mosquitoes for tetracycline resistant bacteria. The company is refusing to allow this test to be done.
Another problem is that these mosquitoes were previously used in Brazil and they did not eradicate the Aedes aegypti. The problem is when you reduce the population, but do not eradicate, this allows other mosquitoes to move in and fill that niche. In the Keys that mosquito would most likely be Aedes albopictus. This mosquito transmits all of the same diseases as the Aedes aegypti. If this were to occur that would mean that there would be 2 vectors of mosquito-borne diseases in the area instead of 1. That is an incredibly dangerous situation.
Also males can acquire mosquito-borne diseases via transovarial transmission and then spread through venereal transmission.
This is why numerous mosquito experts say this has not been properly assessed.
“as vector biologists, geneticists, policy experts and bioethicists, we are concerned that current government oversight and scientific evaluation of GM mosquitoes do not ensure their responsible deployment.” https://www.google.com/amp/s/theconversation.com/amp/genetically-modified-mosquitoes-could-be-released-in-florida-and-texas-beginning-this-summer-silver-bullet-or-jumping-the-gun-139710
In comparison, there is a naturally occurring bacterium that was used in Australia, wolbachia, that has already reduced (transmission of) mosquito-borne diseases. This bacterium inhibits viral replication for dengue, Zika, chikungunya, yellow fever, and Mayaro viruses that cause human disease. If we are talking about reducing mosquito-borne diseases this is the solution. There are numerous peer reviewed studies where wolbachia reduced mosquito-borne diseases.
“The regression model estimate of Wolbachia intervention effect from interrupted time series analyses of case notifications data prior to and after releases, indicated a 96% reduction in dengue incidence in Wolbachia treated populations (95% confidence interval: 84 – 99%). ” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6801363/
There is 0 evidence for OX5034 reducing any diseases. In fact, there are 0 peer reviewed studies for OX5034 at all.
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There are five issues/topics that need to be addressed or clarified for the letter above:
- OX513A is a male Aedes aegypti mosquito, genetically engineered to pass along a lethal gene to wild females that makes the females’ offspring die. … Synthetic DNA with a lethal gene is injected into a mosquito egg. OX513A is a mutated version of a “sterile” mosquito. (Please refer to the post, Stopping Zika: The GMO mosquito that kills his own offspring)
- Andrw Kramer’s message made me curious about OX5034 and lead me to find that, from wikipedia under “Oxitec”, in italics, below: The OX5034 generation of Oxitec’s self-limiting mosquito technology began field trials on May 23, 2018 in Indaiatuba, a municipality in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. The trial was to cover 2,000 residents to suppress A. aegypti mosquitos.[citation needed]. The company announced the trial’s results in June, 2019.[11]OX5034 male offspring survive, allowing additional mating cycles that further reduce the pest population. This function is time-limited. In subsequent generations fewer and fewer males pass on their self-limiting genes. OX5034 males were expected to disappear from the environment 10 generations after releases stop.[12]
- As for what tTAV is, this is what I’ve discovered (in italics, below): Tetracycline-controlled transactivator (tTAV) is a synthetic protein coding sequence based on a fusion of sequences from Escherichia coli and Herpes simplex virus (VP16 transcriptional activator). tTAV is under the control of its own binding site, tetO. In the absence of tetracycline, tTAV binds to tetO and drives expression of more tTAV, in a positive feedback loop. In the presence of tetracycline, tTAV binds tetracycline; this tetracycline-bound form does not bind tetO and so does not lead to expression of more tTAV. Consequently, this construct gives very high levels of expression of tTAV in the absence of tetracycline, but only low, basal expression in the presence of tetracycline. tTAV encodes a dominant trait that, when introduced into certain insects, causes death of the insect unless the antibiotic tetracycline is supplied. For diagrams of how wild-type mosquito (no tTAV gene) vs. GM mosquito (how tTAV works in the absence and in the presence of tetracycline) works, please click HERE.
- Alternative methods need to be considered and tried and compared: Mosquitoes with Wolbachia have a reduced ability to transmit viruses to people, decreasing the risk of Zika, dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever outbreaks. Wolbachia are natural bacteria present in up to 60% of insect species, including some mosquitoes. However, Wolbachia is not usually found in the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the primary species responsible for transmitting human viruses such as Zika, dengue, chikngunya and yellow fever. Please refer to The World Mosquito Program’s Wolbachia Method.
- For better understanding of Dangers of GMO Mosquitoes, we bring you an episode on Fresh Take with Dr. Ram Balasubramanian and Dr. Stephen Forbes, please click HERE. (Tips on reducing mosquitoes: avoid standing water, citrunella oil, breeze, coffee ground, etc.)
