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Genetically engineered mosquito meets public opposition
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New findings suggest that nearly 75% of people who submitted comments to the FDA opposed a trial that would use a genetically modified mosquito, known as OX513A, to suppress Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which transmit diseases such as Zika, dengue and chikungunya.
“Trials of OX513A in other countries have demonstrated reductions in numbers of A. aegypti. The environmental assessment indicated the trial would be unlikely to adversely affect the environment in Key Haven, Florida, the proposed trial site,” Cinnamon S. Bloss, PhD, from the department of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego, and colleagues wrote. “Despite an increase in vector-borne diseases in the United States, there has been public opposition to novel vector control methods, particularly those that leverage advances in genetic engineering.”
Because the views expressed in public forums can impact testing and deployment, researchers examined public response to this proposed trial. Using transcripts of responses submitted to the FDA between Mar. 11, 2016 and May 16, 2016, Bloss and colleagues classified each comment as opposed, neutral or supportive of the trial and conducted analysis to identify themes in the data. They also geocoded and linked commenters’ zip codes to publicly available geographic and sociodemographic data when the information was provided.
Their analysis showed that out of 2,624 comments submitted to the FDA, 74.8% of comments were opposed, 3.6% were neutral and 21.6% were supportive of the trial. Additional analysis revealed that themes in the data included ecological safety (51.2%), human health implications (67.3%), genetically modified organisms in general (65.1%) and mistrust of government or industry (23.6%). The most notable differences observed when comparing responses that opposed vs. those that supported the trial were due to human health implications (61.4% vs. 86.8%) and mistrust of government or industry (30.1% vs. 1.4%). The researchers found that negative responses were linked to zip codes with micropolitan areas, higher elevations, lower average house values and lower household incomes.
“The associations observed between some demographic factors and opposed views might inform approaches to future public engagement strategies regarding the use of genetically engineered mosquitoes,” Bloss and colleagues wrote. “Future studies that incorporate representative sampling and evaluate educational attainment, media coverage and proximity to A. aegypti are required.” – by Savannah Demko
Disclosure: Bloss reports grant funding from the NIH’s National Human Genome Research Institute. No other authors report any relevant financial disclosures.
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