FLORIDA is edging towards unleashing genetically modified mozzies. The insects are able to slash the wider mosquito population through mating, and so can forestall diseases that the insects transmit.

A proposed trial release would have no significant negative impact on the health of people, animals or the environment, the US Food and Drug Administration provisionally ruled last week. The FDA is now accepting public feedback ahead of a final verdict.

UK firm Oxitec and the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District hope to release mozzies modified so that their offspring fail to reach adulthood. “We have a mosquito-rearing facility in Marathon, Florida, that’s ready to go,” says Matthew Warren of Oxitec.

The approach has proved successful in trials in South America. The species being targeted is Aedes aegypti, which is known to spread Zika and dengue virus, as well as yellow fever. None of these are major public health issues in Florida yet, and the plan is to keep it that way.

This article appeared in print under the headline “Mozzie trial closer”