Field testing in Malaysia approved for GM mosquitoes

The Star 11 Oct 10;

KUALA LUMPUR: The National Biosafety Board has approved the release of genetically-modified Aedes mosquitoes for field testing, Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said.

However, the decision would still need Cabinet approval, he said.

“Clinical trial at the laboratory level was successful and the biosafety committee has approved it for testing in a controlled environment,” he said.

The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry would present it to the Cabinet for approval, he told a media conference at the 61st session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific here yesterday.

The board had assessed the field experiment proposal from the Institute of Medical Research to release the mosquitoes in Bentong, Pahang, and Alor Gajah, Malacca, in early October.

Male Aedes Aegypti would be genetically-modified and when mated with female Aedes mosquitoes in the environment, it is hoped the killer genes would cause the larvae to die. (The Aedes Aegypti mosquito can spread the dengue fever, Chikungunya and yellow fever viruses).

“We see it as the most efficient and fastest way in eradicating Aedes mosquitoes from our local environment,” Liow said, adding that Aedes is not a species endemic to Malaysia.

However, he said, dengue posed a major concern in Malaysia because the number of cases has increased by more than 25% this year.

Liow said his ministry was taking the disease seriously because it was not only a health issue but also an environmental hazard.

WHO Western Pacific regional director Dr Shin Young-soo said Malaysia is leading in the research in this area but cautioned that care be taken in introducing a new species to the environment.

He said global experts on tropical diseases research would discuss the issue soon and decide on what they would do with the new development.

Mosquitoes v mosquitoes to fight dengue
Australia, Malaysia to release infected insects to stop spread of disease
Ben Nadarajan Straits Times 12 Oct 10;

RESEARCHERS in Australia and Malaysia will be bucking convention in the fight against dengue by releasing mosquitoes into the wild rather than preventing them from breeding.

The number of dengue cases has doubled over the last 10 years and the situation this year is significantly worse than last year, said World Health Organisation regional director Shin Young Soo.

Dengue infects 50 million people worldwide every year and is the fastest-growing mosquito-borne disease.

Malaysia plans to introduce 2,000 to 3,000 dengue-spreading Aedes mosquitoes into two states by the year end. They are engineered such that their offspring will have shorter lifespans.

The Australian tests involve mosquitoes infected with bacteria which stop the transmission of dengue, apart from shortening the already short life of the mosquito.

The infected females produce fewer eggs and older mosquitoes have weaker mouth parts, which make them less able to bite humans and transmit the disease.

Known as wolbachia, these bacteria are found naturally in many insects like fruit flies and butterflies, although not in the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is the main carrier of dengue. It does not infect vertebrates, including humans.

University of Queensland scientists have received the green light from the federal government to conduct field tests and release the insects into the wild in January.

Project leader Scott O'Neill told The Straits Times that only a small number of mosquitoes will be released into two suburbs in Cairns to mate with wild mosquitoes. The bacteria will pass on to their offspring, 'invading' the mosquito population over a number of generations.

'It Is like a vaccine, but instead of giving it to people, we give it to mosquitoes, and it will spread in the mosquito population,' Professor O'Neill said.

The group plans to conduct similar field tests next year in Vietnam, where dengue is a much bigger problem.

'If it works, it could be a sustainable low-cost approach to dengue control, which will be more environmentally friendly than spraying lots of insecticides,' said Prof O'Neill.

The scientists are also looking at using the same method on other mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria.

International dengue expert Duane Gubler, programme director of emerging infectious diseases at the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School in Singapore, does not see any downsides to the new method.

'Most insects, including Aedes albopictus, the secondary dengue vector in Singapore, are infected with this bacterium naturally. I see no adverse effects of adding Aedes aegypti to the list,' he said.

He added that several ways of curbing dengue are emerging. For example, a group in Britain and California has developed a 'sterile mosquito' which cannot fly.

But is it not easier just to kill the pests?

Prof O'Neill said: 'We have been trying to kill mosquitoes for the last century with little success. If we could do it easily, that would be great.'

Singapore's National Environment Agency said the trials in Australia are important because they would establish if the strategy works.

'We need to assess the effectiveness of these techniques and their possible impact on the environment, taking into account Singapore's unique circumstances,' its spokesman said.

Malaysia to use lab mosquitoes to fight dengue
Yahoo News 11 Oct 10;

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia – Malaysia could be the first country in Asia to use genetically modified mosquitoes to battle a rise in dengue fever, government authorities said Monday.

The program calls for genetically engineered male mosquitoes to be released into the wild that would mate with females and produce offspring that live shorter lives, thus curbing the population.

Malaysian scientists say laboratory test trials have made them optimistic.

"It is a pilot project, and hopefully it will work," Prime Minister Najib Razak told reporters on the sidelines of a World Health Organization conference in Malaysia.

Dengue fever, spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, is common in Asia and Latin America. Symptoms include high fever, joint pains and nausea, but in severe cases, it can lead to internal bleeding, liver enlargement, circulatory shutdown and death. There is no known cure or vaccine.

Efforts to urge Malaysians to keep neighborhoods clean and destroy stagnant sources of water — which are mosquito breeding grounds — have failed, and "innovative ways" are needed to combat dengue, Najib said.

In Malaysia, the number of dengue-linked deaths totaled 117 between January and early October — a 65 percent surge from last year, according to Health Ministry statistics. Dengue infections overall increased 17 percent from last year to more than 37,000 cases.

Malaysian authorities plan to release between 2,000 and 3,000 genetically modified mosquitoes in two areas, said Lim Chua Leng, a Health Ministry official. The plan, which cannot be undertaken without Cabinet approval, would be the first such release of genetically modified mosquitoes in Asia to combat dengue.

WHO Western Pacific regional director Shin Young-soo on Sunday said he welcomed Malaysia's efforts to step up the fight against dengue, but also reportedly cautioned that care must be taken in introducing a new species to the environment, The Star newspaper reported.

Some Malaysian environmentalists say releasing such mosquitoes could have unintended consequences.