Future Elementary Science Educators: GMO: Mosquitoes in the Real World

What are they and what is their purpose?

GMO stands for a genetically modified organism. Any organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques is a GMO. This can be done when a genetic modification occurs involving mutation, insertion, or deletion of genes. A GMO mosquito was created to reduce the risk of diseases and to eliminate the spread of diseases that take an estimated 725,000 lives globally each year. These diseases these mosquitoes vary from the dengue, Zika, yellow fever, and chikungunya. Oxitec, a UK-based company have altered the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Male mosquitoes are modified to contain a lethal gene to combat the spread of viruses. The gene causes it progeny to die in the larval stage. The male mosquitoes then are released into the wild to mate with the wild females and to transfer the lethal gene to the offspring. The lethal gene is supposed to kill the offspring before they are able to mature, which helps eliminate the viruses that are being carried by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. The GMO mosquitoes carry a gene for a fluorescent protein that lets researchers distinguish modified mosquitoes from wild ones. Both of the inserted genes to the mosquitoes are nontoxic and hypoallergenic.

GMO: Mosquitoes in the Real World
By: Morgan Kocis, Kaitlynn Taylor, Ariel Stollman

GM MAP LINK (Click on word to see picture from original site.)

Have GMO Mosquitoes Been Used Before?

Altered mosquitoes have been released in other countries such as; Brazil, Panama, Cayman Islands, and Malaysia. After the introduction of the altered mosquitoes into the environment the Aedes aegypti populations were reduced to 75 to 90 percent. In February 2016, in a district of Piracicaba, Brazil genetically modified mosquitoes were released and five months later the incidence of dengue in the district has fallen by 91%. It is clear that GMO mosquitoes have shown to be successful in other countries in the fight to kill and eliminate diseases. Will America follow the lead of other countries?

GMO Mosquitoes Ramifications

Tie to the Ecosystem

Currently, we are fighting the battle against mosquitoes carrying dangerous and deadly diseases by spraying nasty chemicals. “Each year 15 million acres across the United States are doused in Naled, a neurotoxic insecticide used to keep mosquito populations in check.” Pesticide chemicals like Naled are more harmful to the environment than to the insects, like mosquitoes, that they are targeting. These pesticides disturb the ecosystem and other insects not just the mosquitoes they are targeting. Naled is known to kill bees, butterflies, birds, and fish. Bees and butterflies are big pollinators that help with our agriculture.

When wondering about the animals like birds, bats, and other fauna within the ecosystem that feed on mosquitoes, don’t worry the GM mosquitoes won’t harm them. Most insect eaters have broad diets, which means eliminating a specific mosquito shows no evidence anyone would be left without food.

Some experts believe that if we suppress Aedes aegypti, that it would leave and ecological hole in our ecosystem. Leaving a hole could either be positive or negative. Phil Lounibos, a University of Florida entomologist and mosquito expert said, “If you really suppress Aedes aegypti, an ecological equivalent is going to fill that background — most likely Aedes albopictus.

On Animals and Humans

Remember Naled that pesticide we were talking about before? Not only does it pose harm on the ecosystem and animals, scientist are saying high exposure to the chemicals used in Naled can have negative long-term health effects for humans. One of the main ingredients in Naled is trichlorfon, which could cause cancer and birth defects. “A 2014 study by scientists at the University of California, Davis found that pregnant women living within a few miles of farms where pesticides like Naled were sprayed had a 60 percent increased risk of their child developing autism.”

GM mosquitoes won’t harm animals that feed on them and they won’t harm you either. Male mosquitoes are the ones being modified and female mosquitoes are the only mosquitoes that bite, because they need the blood to nourish their eggs. But let’s say a female is modified and released within the mix. Being bit by a GM mosquito would have the same effect as being bit by an ordinary mosquito. There is no evidence that mosquitoes can transfer their DNA to any other organism, including the ones they feed on.

GMO Mosquitoes in United States

Florida

In 2016, FDA approved a genetically modified mosquito intervention for Key West, Florida. This trial is planned to launch this year in Key Haven Florida. Key Haven is 161 miles from the Miami-Dade neighborhood where our nation's first Zika case was detected. It is also five miles from Florida's 2009-10 outbreak of dengue was found. In November, the residents of this island will be able to weigh in on the fate of this trial during a non binding local referendum. If a trial is approved, the mosquitoes could be let loose as early as December. Florida Chart Link (Click this word to see chart from original site.)

Information for Lessons and Teachers

Fight The Bite Activity: Use this fun activity to tie in the key concepts of West Nile Virus prevention/awareness and Entomology lesson on mosquitos.

Bug Me Activity: This is a great resource because it includes TEN different activities for teaching and learning that you can tweak to present genetically modified mosquitoes to the students.

Voting Activity: This activity can be tied to the voting situation with Florida currently. It's a great cross-curricular lesson!

http://www.oxitec.com/ted-talk-hadyn-parry-re-engineering-mosquitos-to-fight-disease/ : TED Talk - Hadyn Parry: Re-engineering mosquitoes to fight diesease

Michigan Science Standards

3-LS4-4 Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and the types of plants and animals that live there may change.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.7 Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears. PICTURE LINK (Click link to see original site.)

3-LS1-1 Develop models to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles but all have in common birth, growth, reproduction, and death

3-LS4-2 use evidence to construct an explanation for how the variations in characteristics among individuals for the same species may provide advantages for surviving, finding mates, and reproducing

Critical Thinking

Why do you think your student’s need to know about genetically modified mosquitoes?

How could you use this knowledge when thinking about genetically modified mosquitoes, diseases, and the ramifications on the ecosystem? (This question can be used during a lesson, ask you students to use their critical thinking skills.)

What would genetically modified mosquitoes look like in our ecosystem and how would they affect it? (This question can be used at the start of a lesson, ask your students to use their critical thinking skills.)