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Road test for genetically modified mosquitoes

Nature Biotechnology volume 29, pages 984–985 (2011)Cite this article

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Results from the first open-field trial of transgenic mosquitoes bode well for large-scale releases to fight infectious diseases.

Mass release of sterile male insects has proven a successful strategy for controlling many major insect pests without the disadvantages of chemical insecticides. But mosquitoes have resisted this approach because irradiation, the traditional method for sterilizing insects, is too detrimental to their viability1. As an alternative to irradiation, researchers have proposed to use mosquitoes expressing a 'suicide' (dominant lethal) transgene. But would such a transgene compromise the mosquitoes' fitness under field conditions? A report in this issue by Harris et al.2 provides the first evidence that males of a genetically modified strain of Aedes aegypti, the main vector of dengue, compete effectively with wild males in mating with wild females in the field.

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Figure 1: Operational challenges to the implementation of large-scale releases of RIDL males to combat dengue fever.

Katie Vicari

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Todd Shelly is at US Department of Agriculture-Animal and Plant Health Inspection, Waimanalo, Hawaii, USA,

    Todd Shelly

  2. Don McInnis is based in Hilo, Hawaii, USA.,

    Don McInnis

Authors
  1. Todd Shelly
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  2. Don McInnis
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Correspondence to Todd Shelly.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Shelly, T., McInnis, D. Road test for genetically modified mosquitoes. Nat Biotechnol 29, 984–985 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt.2025

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