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U.S. approves GMO mosquito test, but no release imminent

In this Thursday, Oct. 4, 2012, photo, Patti Sprague, left, and Jason Garcia, both field inspectors with the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District, inspect a backyard pond at a home in Key West, Fla. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday in a statement that after considering thousands of public comments, its Center for Veterinary Medicine concluded the proposal for a field trial releasing genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys from biotech firm Oxitec would not significantly affect the environment. (Wilfredo Lee / Associated Press)
By Jennifer Kay Associated Press

MIAMI – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is giving final approval for a field trial releasing genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys.

The FDA said Friday in a statement that after considering thousands of public comments, its Center for Veterinary Medicine concluded the proposal from biotech firm Oxitec would not significantly affect the environment.

No mosquitoes will be released immediately. Keys officials will hold a nonbinding vote on the proposal for residents in November.

Oxitec releases nonbiting male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes modified with synthetic DNA to produce offspring that die outside a lab. The method aims to reduce mosquito populations that spread Zika and other viruses.

Brazil and the Cayman Islands are releasing Oxitec’s insects. The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District wants to test them on an island north of Key West.