MOSQUITO ANNIHILATION ATTACK!!!

Genetic elimination of dengue vector mosquitoes.

Wise de Valdez MR, Nimmo D, Betz J, Gong HF, James AA, Alphey L, Black WC 4th.

Abstract

An approach based on mosquitoes carrying a conditional dominant lethal gene (release of insects carrying a dominant lethal, RIDL) is being developed to control the transmission of dengue viruses by vector population suppression. A transgenic strain, designated OX3604C, of the major dengue vector, Aedes aegypti, was engineered to have a repressible female-specific flightless phenotype. This strain circumvents the need for radiation-induced sterilization, allows genetic sexing resulting in male-only releases, and permits the release of eggs instead of adult mosquitoes. OX3604C males introduced weekly into large laboratory cages containing stable target mosquito populations at initial ratios of 8.5-101 OX3604Ctarget eliminated the populations within 10-20 weeks. These data support the further testing of this strain in contained or confined field trials to evaluate mating competitiveness and environmental and other effects. Successful completion of the field trials should facilitate incorporation of this approach into area-wide dengue control or elimination efforts as a component of an integrated vector management strategy.

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Mar 22;108(12):4772-5. Epub 2011 Mar 7.

Why is this cool? 
 First, what is it? The researchers mutated a mosquito so that females became flightless leading to their death and the impossibility of them producing offspring. They did this in a mosquito that is responsible for spreading dengue fever. Their laboratory cage experiment shows that by adding mutated mosquitoes they saw elimination of the targeted population within 10-20 weeks. Does that mean there were no mosquitoes at the end? I don't know. I will need to read the paper.

 Now , back to the question at hand, why is this cool? Let's step back and see what they did: they made a mutant line and systematically introduced that line back into a somewhat wild population for the result of annihilating that wild population. For any organism that can be mutated, this is a viable plan for shifting the population in a desired direction. It doesn't have to be annihilation, it could be something more interesting like intelligence.

 Let's pretend for a second that the genes responsible for group cooperation and intelligence were discovered for octopus. Maybe some quack would make some change in the octopus genome so that these genes cause more of an effect, ultimately making intelligent, team-working octopi. Now, imagine said quack re-introduced super octopus back into the wild with the end result being super octopus taking over. They would naturally run into man and hide and develop intelligence to battle man! Then we would have to battle for the seas as octopi learn to farm!