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Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia is considering releasing genetically modified mosquitoes designed to combat dengue fever, in a landmark field trial that has been criticized by environmentalists.

In the first experiment of its kind in Asia, 2,000-3,000 male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes would be released in two Malaysian states in October or November.

The insects in the study have been engineered so that their offspring quickly die, curbing the growth of the population in a technique researchers hope could eventually eradicate the dengue mosquito altogether.

Females of the Aedes species are responsible for spreading dengue fever, a sometimes deadly illness that has killed 100 people so far this year in Malaysia alone.

The World Health Organization estimates worldwide infections at 50 million annually. Numbers have grown dramatically in recent decades, due to rapid urbanization and enhanced mobility that has carried the virus further afield.

The proposed field trial follows a series of lab tests conducted in Malaysia since 2006, and the government is seeking public feedback before taking the next step.

But environmentalists are not convinced, and are concerned the genetically modified mosquito could fail to prevent dengue and could also have unintended consequences.

“Once you release these GM mosquitoes into the environment, you have no control and it can create more problems than solving them,” said Gurmit Singh, head of the Center for Environment, Technology and Development.

“There are a lot of risks involved,” he said.

Singh said the larvae would only die if their environment is free of tetracycline, an antibiotic commonly used for medical and veterinary purposes.

“If the larvae come into contact with the tetracycline, the chances of the larvae surviving is higher than it dying off,” he said.

“We don’t know how the genetic flow will be affected. The non-targeted species might be adversely affected and increase the risk of ecological harm.”

Singh also said it is better to play safe and added that current measures to contain dengue outbreaks such as spraying insecticides can still be effective.

The field trial for the GM anti-dengue mosquitoes — which was developed by British-based biotech company Oxitec — will be undertaken by the Institute for Medical Research, an agency under the Malaysian Health Ministry.

The two groups, through their media company, declined comment on the trial or respond to the environmental concerns, saying that would be inappropriate as their “application is now going through the final stages of regulatory scrutiny”.

The Malaysian Natural Resources and Environment Ministry said that the field trial, if approved, would be conducted on two consecutive days and “in strict adherence to requirements” by the National Biosafety Board.

It also said the GM mosquitoes proposed for release contain “a fluorescent molecular marker and a self-limiting construct.”
 

Agence France-Presse