PITTSBURGH (Newsradio KDKA) - Genetically engineered mosquitos have entered the Florida Keys this week. They are targeting yellow fever mosquitos for mating.
Chad Gore, Entomologist at Ehlirch Pest Control, said a company called Oxitec has been given permission from the federal government to release these mosquitos through a provisional permit.
The all-male modified mosquitos have been engineered to carry a lethal gene that will pass-on to the female after mating, and spread to the offspring. The goal is to prevent the spread of diseases like zika. (It is also important to know that only female mosquitos bite people and animals for blood meals.)
"It does cause the females to die off," Gore said during the KDKA Radio Morning Show. "You would think that it's going to persist forever and ever, but most likely what's going to happen is its going to be basically be diluted out of the gene pool, and then you may eventually have to do another reintroduction."
Gore said this is a process that goes back decades.
Listen to the full interview above to learn more.