"GMO Mosquitoes may be introduced in to the environmentally fragile Florida Keys.
A real life Jurassic park in the works?"
~ Cynthia G. Creel
7-5-2013
~ Cynthia G. Creel
7-5-2013
My story:
I was in the lobby of the theater and spied a display of a “theme park” promoting Jurassic Park the movie released in 1993. It looked interesting, by the time I saw the previews I wanted to see it. The movie seems to be predicting what will happen in the future in a very dramatic way with the story line where scientist taking dinosaur DNA from a prehistoric mosquito that had bitten a dinosaur then preserved in amber, adding Frog DNA to fill in the gaps creating a live dinosaur. What could go wrong?
By the end of the movie almost everything went wrong and in the next movies it showed how quickly things could go wrong with nature taking it’s natural course and the dinosaur able to reproduce and some flying off the island. Creating a new ecological imbalance.
At the time I thought this was a really cool concept even if the movie real life yet.. To create new life from the dead was a little Frankenstein-ish . What could go wrong? In the movie I stepped away from the theater to an unchanged world. Today the reality is here with the release of a GMO (genetically modified organizem) mosquito Aede aegypti (OX513A).
Science has a way of thinking one thing and nature taking this information and showing us the true story of the real effects. What at first may seem fine, over time may turn into a real life Jurassic Park. It may take decades to see the true results and by then the “cancer” may not be repairable. Are there better ways to create the same results with less harm?
GMO mosquitoes where did they come from?
It sounds good on the surface. Who wouldn’t want to reduce the mosquito population from carrying disease such as Dengue fever. According to Scribd.com (1) The Uk Biotechnology company Oxitec has developed a genetically GMO mosquito (Aedes aegypti (OX513A) with the goal of limiting diseases such as dengue fever which is spread if a female mosquitoes that is carrying the virus and bites a human. The GMO mosquito is suppose to only survive if the antibiotic tetracycline is present brought about by the development of the “autocidal“ gene. Tetracycline is used to in agriculture production can be found in the environment such from those animals in the form of sewage. In theory the GMO male mosquitoes would mate with females passing on the “autocidal” gene to the offspring. The male would die and when the offspring were born they would also parish without a source of tetracycline. Eliminating part of the mosquito population.
In 2009 to 2010 3 million GMO mosquitoes were tested in the Cayman Islands, a British Overseas Territory. It was determined a success. Oxitec, in business with money involved, saying the field trial is was a success. Was it?
No perfect results may have 15% survival of GMO mosquito offspring:
One study (6) taking a look at the GMO mosquitoes showed a large gap in the process and how easily things might change from success to failure. With the offspring of the wild females and OX513A males would be heterozygous (offspring) still expressing this gene and not reaching adult hood. However in laboratory experiments an acknowledgments of a 3% -4% survival rate was found. A Oxitec confidential paper made public by Gene Watch Uk showed a 15% survival rate among the heterozygous most likely due to the fact the mosquitoes being tested where being fed cat food containing tetracycline. The study also identified this as a risk:
“In the case of large-scale production even very small percentage could result in considerable side-effects.”
FDA approves GMO mosquito, will the mosquito be another wimpy pink bollworm?:
According to the Daily Mail (4) the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District has discover the pesticide used had become less effective on mosquitoes today. The GMO mosquito is looked at as an alterative way to control the mosquito population. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has signed off on the on the release of hundreds of thousands of GMO mosquitoes making Key West the target for the first ever United States experiment on the Key’s delicate ecosystem with this GMO mosquito release.
The idea that seems so good may not be in the end with Oxitec’s GMO pink bollworms the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Serviced was the “environmentally preferable alternative” to combated the cotton pest. In time it was discovered that the GMO pink bollworms bred by Oxitec to be sterile could not compete with the natural occurring bollworms (non GMO bollworms). After the discover (out side the lab) that the GMO pink bollworms were not as robust and that their use would cause Organic certified farms to loose there certification the program was discontinued.
Key West saying yes, do they understand the real risks?:
Is fear of contracting a disease driving a minimal approval rating of release over an outbreak of dengue fever in 2010 that caused a “ minor health crisis.” The Keys news (1) reports a survey done by Oxitec but not funded by Oxitec, in order to gain approval of the GMO mosquito found a simple majority (61%) approve and 39% against or neutral the GMO mosquitoes being released, with only 53% thinking it was safe and 47% thinking it was not safe, very unsafe, or neutral. However there were no report if the people survived understood the possible risk of up to the 15% survival of the GMO off spring or the fact the female mosquitoes may just over look the GMO male mosquitoes for real thing of non GMO male mosquito as a mate? Would Oxitec want answers to questions like these, they may change the out look of the people being surveyed giving an undesirable result for Oxitec.
Oxitec spreads part of the story that supports them alone. Is there another way to protect?:
The Keys News (5) quotes Oxitec Chief Executive Officer Hadyn Parry said of the study. "I think people understand there are benefits to it (genetically engineered technology). It's environmentally benign. You are targeting one insect that spreads disease and is an invasive species."
The Oxitec seems to be only focusing on the positive in the companies favor saying the GMO mosquitoes are “benign” and spreading fear of the disease though “one insect”. In this statement reported there is no thought of other ways of protecting the population. How would they know how benign if the effects have not been studied for more than a few times or years in the environment? Have they looked into other ways to solve this problem? One study on the response of the body to Dengue Virus Infection(7) states, “By understanding how human antibodies neutralize or enhance DENV, it will be possible to better evaluate existing vaccines and develop the next generation of novel vaccines”
Is the Oxitec company really putting efforts into understanding the environmental impact or are they just putting out their best guess? The Rhode Island University (8) fact sheet tell us the mosquito has natural enemies like birds, bats, and mosquito fish, Gambusia or guppies. There is a purpose for every living thing. The mosquito feeds theses animals if we take them away will it affect the balance of the environment, creating an imbalance that is worst then the disease?
GMO mosquito bite harmful?:
As far as I can find there is no results of what the long term effect from a bite of a GMO mosquito. So if there are surviving female GMO mosquitoes some time in the future will this affect the DNA possibly being transferred to humans after they are bit? I have not been able to find any human trails of this possible outcome? With up to 15% of the survival of the GMO mosquito’s in the lab how could anyone know the effect if there are no human trials? The facts are lives are at risk either way. Currently we know the risk without GMO mosquitoes and Oxitec is pushing to move the world to an unknown risk of the possible long term effects of releasing the GMO mosquitoes into the environment that may take the next 30 years to find out. Yet if tOxitec is successful how much profit will there be for the Oxitec? Millions or billions?
Final words:
The bio tech company Oxitec may have missed much in there analyses of the GMO mosquitoes. Oxitec have already had trials of uncontrolled space living escape of this GMO possible just as in Jurassic Park’s GMO dinosaurs surviving, thriving and escaping the island. . This could be almost a sure thing with up to 15% of the GMO mosquito’s offspring surviving by finding sources of tetracycline that might be as simple as from a cat food dish. Nature is a power is clear it does what it does best survival of the species first. The effort to finding a way to change nature seems to be a dead end street that may effect the world in a very large negative. Focusing on how to natural control or improve humans response may be the best way of preserving what has been created in the environment.
Looking at the whole picture always helps me make a better choice. Be more proactive we can all become just a little bit better and the more likely the negative results in life can be avoided. Stand up tall with an upright posture and be proactive. The solution helps to keep moving the best direction is to step onto the path of True Health. Discover a new world. Help yourself, help the world, step on to the Path of True Health and vote with your dollars company you want to support to create a world you will love to live in. I do, and I like the world I am helping to create. Together we can create a better life for all to remember over their entire lifetime Together we can protect what we have so we don’t need to live in a world that is second rate.
By Design ~ “Life is good By Design”
Photo and photo creation by Cynthia G. Creel all rights reserved ©2013
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Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of By Design or Cynthia G. Creel. Consultation of a medical professional is highly recommended before any changes are considered. This article is not saying anyone person in a leadership position is unhealthy or healthy, it is just a possibly of many and is only speaking in general terms. .Note: No company mentioned in this article is considered to serve “healthy or unhealthy” food, any examples given was only used as an example of how business works though their history and public information. The focus is only to help explain a idea. Statements and conclusions of any study authors that are presented are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of Cynthia G. Creel or any means the information is published. There is no representation or warranty as to their accuracy or reliability.
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Source:
(1) http://www.oxitec.com/subjects/mosquito/
(2) http://www.scribd.com/doc/100213440/Issue-Brief-GE-Mosquitoes-in-U-S
(3) http://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/v29/n1/full/nbt0111-9a.html
(4) http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2244272/Florida-officials-consider-releasing-genetically-modified-non-biting-mosquitoes-battle-dengue-fever.html
(5) http://keysnews.com/node/45793
(6) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3541591/
(7) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3280510/
(8) http://www.uri.edu/ce/factsheets/sheets/mosquito.html
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