Genetically Modified Mosquito Vaccinators Buzzin’ To The Rescue?

When you spend a fair amount of time reading environmental-related articles, you begin to get the distinct sense that genetically modified anything is probably a bad idea. The basic concept, in which genes and DNA segments from one species are artificially transferred or ‘shuffled’ into other unrelated species, is carried out in an effort to make things like crops resistant to certain insects or tolerant to very high applications of weed killers while still thriving. Actually, it seems pretty good idea in theory -- we have lots of mouths to feed and GM crops allow us to get the job done. In reality, however, lots of questions continue to loom around the potential consequences that GM organisms could have on human health and the environment.

The multi-billion dollar industry hasn’t just pervaded our food supply – it’s also infiltrated the world of medical and biological research, industrial and pharmaceutical crops as well as orchard farming and forestry (the latter of which bacteria and virus genes are inserted into trees to clean polluted soil more effectively and to ensure higher wood yields). And then there are the animals, also referred to as “transgenic” – bred specifically to possess more appealing traits, such as omega-fatty-3-acid pork achieved via the insertion of roundworm genes or a goat-milk-derived blood thinner called ATryn (courtesy of the glands of transgenic goats) which is currently awaiting FDA approval as an acceptable drug.

Move over GM animals, food and vegetation – the shiny new kid on the block is a genetically engineered mosquito that automatically contains a vaccine for a sandfly-transmitted parasitic disease called leishmaniasis in its saliva. Since the pesky little critters are predisposed to sucking the blood of almost any creature they come into contact with, molecular geneticist Shigeto Yoshida of Japan’s Jichi Medical University – along with his team – figured that it would be pretty practical to transform them into highly efficient vaccinating machines with a little oomph in the DNA department. Much to the scientists’ delight, the mice that they subjected to repeated DNA-tweaked mosquito feeding sessions automatically produced parasitic antibodies, and with “continuous exposure to bites” they were able to “maintain high levels of protective immunity, through natural boosting, for a lifetime. So the insect(s) shift from being a pest to being beneficial.”

For now, it’s still a work in progress and may never even fly in the real world, at least with regard to human applications. It’s practically impossible to control just how many times a transgenic (or normal) mosquito will bite a person, which happens to be an essential factor in determining accurate vaccination levels. Some people tend to serve as irresistible mosquito pincushions (extra sweet blood, perhaps?) while others get nary a sniff from a hungry bloodsucker, so with questionable doses all the way around, results could be pretty messy. In terms of ethics, it’s highly unlikely that any regulatory agency would ever give the thumbs up to the release of mosquito vaccination armies, but it wouldn’t be surprising if they said “sure…let’s go for it” in an attempt to protect livestock at minimal cost. Despite being an interesting bit of experimental science, GM mosquitoes should probably be snuffed out in the lab before they inevitably escape and somehow morph into zombie vampire minions! Haven't we learned anything from the rich Hollywood history of cult B movies? There's never a happy ending when science messes with Mother Nature...oh wait, that's REAL life.