The anti-Zika: can these genetically modified mosquitoes fight the deadly virus?

The perfect weapon against the mosquito-transmitted Zika virus could just be a genetically modified mosquito. According to media reports, British biotechnology company, Oxitec, has successfully engineered this enemy of Aedes aegypti mosquitoe to help in the fight against the fast-spreading virus.

A self-destructive mechanism

In something right out of a sci-fi flick, Oxitec has introduced a "self destruct" gene into its mosquitoes which can cause new generations of the bugs to die before they reach adulthood.

After mating with the wild Aedes aegypti, the GM mosquitoes can knock out new generations and reduce mosquito populations.

Field trails conducted have reportedly been successful in several countries so far. The biggest project involving this mosquito has been conducted in Brazil - which has been hit the hardest by the Zika epidemic. The country is also the first where the GM mosquito has made it out of field trials and been permitted for limited use as a control method.

It's currently deployed in the city of Piracicaba in what's called the 'Friendly Aedes aegypti' project. The initiative is currently awaiting government safety approval for use throughout the country, according to Oxitec CEO Hadyn Parry.

How effective is the cure?

• The company reportedly claims that the GM bug has reduced Aedes aegypti populations by upwards of 90 per cent in its trials. According to Parry, these models have aim to reduce lower mosquito populations below the threshold required for effective disease transmission (although he cautions that this information is based on models alone and not field studies).

• But there are concerns. Some experts are concerned about the negative side effects associated with eliminating Aedes aegypti populations. They believe that such an outcome would leave an ecological hole for another species to move in and fill.

• A major concern here is also the Aedes albopictus, more commonly known as the Asian tiger mosquito, another species of mosquito found in many of the same locations as the Aedes aegypti. This species possesses the ability to transmit some of the same diseases commonly carried by Aedes aegypti, including dengue fever, although it's not considered the primary vector in most cases and it's still unclear how effectively it can transmit Zika virus, if at all.

• Scientists are still researching on the effectiveness of the Aedes albopictus at transmitting certain diseases but there is a hypothetical possibility that it could rise up and take the Aedes aegypti's place as a vector.

• The Oxitec mosquito also provided fodder to conspiracy theorists when some reports suggested that the release of the GM bug in Brazil somehow helped cause the current Zika crisis. Experts have largely dismissed that theory and have chosen to focus instead on the GM insect's potential to help stop the spread of the disease instead.