对抗疟疾生物武器出击:首批转基因蚊子放飞

The first release of genetically modified (GM) mosquitoes in Africa is set to happen in Burkina Faso this year, an initial step in a planned "gene drive" strategy against malaria.

非洲将于今年在布基纳法索首次释放转基因蚊子，这是计划中的疟疾“基因驱动”战略的第一步。

It will be the first release of GM mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles, which transmits the parasite responsible for the disease.

这将是第一次释放按蚊属的转基因蚊子，这种蚊子会传播导致疟疾的寄生虫。

The gene drive approach, under development at the nonprofit consortium Target Malaria, would spread mutations through the wild population that knock out key fertility genes or reduce the proportion of female insects, which transmit disease.

这种基因驱动方法由非营利组织疟疾目标联盟开发，它可以在野生种群中传播突变，破坏关键的生育基因，或降低传播疾病的雌性昆虫的比例。

But the first GM Anophelesmosquitoes released won't bear such mutations and aren't intended to cut down the population.

但是释放的第一批转基因按蚊不会携带这种突变，也不打算减少蚊子数量。

Researchers will let out fewer than 10,000 genetically sterilized males to observe how they survive and disperse in the wild and to help introduce the concept of GM mosquitoes to regulators and community members.

研究人员将释放不到1万只经过基因绝育的雄性蚊子，观察它们如何在野外生存和传播，并帮助向监管机构和社区成员介绍转基因蚊子的概念。

对于这种利用转基因蚊子对抗疟疾的方式，朋友们有什么看法呢？欢迎给amber留言哦！

/ Bye /

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