Kentucky-based biotechnology startup MosquitoMate was given U.S. government approval to release bacteria-infected mosquitoes in several states.
The company's lab-grown Aedes albopictus (aka ZAP males) are designed to halt the spread of mosquito-borne diseases.
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So how does it work? When ZAP males mate with wild female
<em>Aedes aegypti</em> mosquitoes, which can carry yellow fever, dengue and Zika, the resulting eggs do not hatch. That's because MosquitoMate's bugs are infected with <em>Wolbachia</em>, a common and naturally occurring strain of bacterium that <em>Aedes aegypti </em>does not carry. The fertilized eggs never hatch because the paternal chromosomes do not properly form, according to <a href="https://www.nature.com/news/us-government-approves-killer-mosquitoes-to-fight-disease-1.22959" target="_blank">Nature</a>. Mosquitoes infected with <em>Wolbachia</em> are also <a href="https://qz.com/676813/in-a-world-first-scientists-have-found-a-way-to-use-bacteria-to-fight-the-zika-virus/" target="_blank">less likely</a> to carry viruses. </p><p>
The hope is that wild, disease-carrying mosquito populations will eventually die out. And since the ZAP males do not bite, these mozzies shouldn't be a problem to have around.
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"It's a non-chemical way of dealing with mosquitoes, so from that perspective, you'd think it would have a lot of appeal," David O'Brochta, an entomologist at the University of Maryland in Rockville, told Nature. "I'm glad to see it pushed forward, as I think it could be potentially really important."
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<span></span><a href="https://gizmodo.com/the-epa-just-approved-lab-grown-mosquitoes-to-fight-dis-1820231191" target="_blank">Gizmodo</a> reported that the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/epa" target="_blank">U.S. Environmental Protection Agency</a> on Nov. 3 registered the lab-grown mosquito as a biopesticide. MosquitoMate will have a five-year license to sell in 20 different states and Washington, DC.</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="3759d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="L2P1Q51576662776"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="927610148469837824" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">We are excited to announce EPA approval, please read all about it and thanks to @NatureNews for the great announcem… https://t.co/vPWy8riShm</div> — MosquitoMate (@MosquitoMate)<a href="https://twitter.com/MosquitoMate/statuses/927610148469837824">1509994468.0</a></blockquote></div>
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<p>"First we're going to prove our business model here in Lexington, Kentucky, but we have approval in 20 states," Karen Dobson, MosquitoMate production manager, told
<a href="https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/bj75z5/epa-lab-grown-killer-mosquitoes" target="_blank">Motherboard</a>.<br></p><p>
The company will have to produce millions of its mosquitoes in order to suppress an entire city's mosquito population, Nature reported. MosquitoMate must find a way to efficiently separate its non-biting male mosquitoes from females, a process that's currently done by hand and mechanically.
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<span></span>This is not the first time the U.S. government has approved the release of lab-reared mosquitoes to combat diseases. Last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared the experimental release of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/gmo-genetically-modified-organism/">genetically modified</a> mosquitoes in the Florida Keys to help combat the Zika virus. But as Motherboard noted, <a href="https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/qkjn9x/florida-needs-a-new-place-to-release-genetically-modified-anti-zika-mosquitoes" target="_blank">local voters rejected the plan</a> over concerns about its impacts on the local environment.
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