A field test in Florida released the first genetically modified (GM)
mosquitosto assess a method in controlling the spread of diseases
that/Aedes aegypti/mosquitoes may carry such as Dengue, Zika,
Chikungunya, and Yellow Fever.

GM /A. aegypti/mosquito eggs were placed in a box at six locations in
the Florida Keys. About 12,000 male mosquitoes are expected to be
released in the boxes each week starting in the second week of May for
12 weeks. These male mosquitoes don't bite, so they cannot pass on
diseases to humans.  It carries a geneencoding tetracycline-repressible
transcription activator (tTA) which is passed on to their offsprings and
kills female progeny in their early larval stage.

The study aims to create an alternative way in managing the population
of/A. aegypti/mosquitoes because insecticide resistance is rampant among
insect pests in the US. Previous field tests in Brazil, Panama, the
Cayman Islands, and Malaysia have shown promising results.

First genetically modified mosquitoes released in the United States
(nature.com)
[www.nature.com]