FMT INTERVIEW KUALA LUMPUR: There exists a proven homegrown method of combating dengue that may be safer than releasing millions of genetically modified (GM) mosquitoes into the environment, as the government plans to do this month.
The alternative method uses Mousticide, a product of Malaysian-based biotechnological company EntoGenex. It was tested in one of the country’s most dengue-prone areas early this year and the result was more than gratifying, the company’s chairman, Tunku Naquiyuddin Ja'afar, told FMT recently.
“Our technology is a 20-year-old technology from the University of Florida and it won the prestigious Silver Flower award,” he said.
The technology uses a small protein found in the mosquito itself, called Trypsin Modulating Oostatic Factor (TMOF), to kill larvae.
Dengue fever, which infects scores of Malaysians every year, is carried by the aedes mosquito.
“Normally, a female mosquito consumes blood meal twice its own size and most of the blood is used to provide nutrients for its eggs,” Tunku Naquiyuddin explained.
“However, once its ovary has received enough blood, it will send out a signal to its system to stop the blood supply using TMOF. That molecule, which we turn into a kind of yeast, is what we are using to kill off the larvae. It works like a lethal diet pill.
The yeast is sprinkled into water sources where female mosquitoes lay their eggs.
“Then when the mosquito larva consumes the yeast, the molecule attaches itself to its body system and disrupts its digestive system. Unable to digest its food, the larva will then literally explode to death.”
According to him, the product is so safe that people can even sprinkle it in drinking water.
“It is a dead cell anyway and it is biodegradable,” he said. “It is also safe for humans and pets. In fact, when a mosquito dies, it releases the same molecules to the environment.”
Another plus factor for the pesticide is that mosquitoes will not be able to adapt to it.
Field tests in Gombak
“Although the mosquito is a highly adaptable insect, it will not be able to adapt to this as TMOF is part of its own system,” Tunku Naquiyuddin said.
He said industrial TMOF was first brought to Malaysia in 2005. The government was so impressed with the technology that the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment provided a grant worth RM3.365 million to encourage its further development.
“We worked closely with UKM and USM to develop the end product,” said Tunku Naquiyuddin. By 2008, the researchers had managed to mix the yeast with rice husk to create Mousticide.
Last April, EntoGenex worked with Kuala Lumpur City Hall and the Ministry of Health to conduct field tests in certain areas in Gombak.
“We tested our product in Phase 9, Gombak,” the Tunku said.
“You must understand that Gombak is feared for its high number of dengue cases. We worked in the area for about three months, sprinkling pinches of the rice husk solution in areas prone to mosquito breeding.
“The end result was that the area did not appear in the dengue hot spot list for 20 weeks.”
The Health Ministry, impressed by the result, sent 40 vector controllers for training at EntoGenex.
“And that was only the first batch. And all vector controllers in Malaysia now have our product.”
TMOF is registered under the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
“EPA is the gold standard when it comes to environmental safety,” Tunku Naquiyuddin said.
“TMOF is categorised as a biochemical pesticide and when we brought the technology to the Malaysian Pesticide Board in 2005, the latter even exempted us from registration due its safety features.”
Mousticide won the Gold Award at the BioMalaysia Conference last November.
Questions over GM project
Commenting on the plan by the National Biosafety Board (NBB) to release genetically-modified (GM) male mosquitoes this month in Bentong and Alor Gajah, the Tunku said it was disheartening that the authorities had overlooked a tested and proven locally made product like Mousticide.
“We should be delighted that Malaysia has the foremost product in aedes control but I feel we are not proud of it as we are still talking about GM mosquitoes,” he said.
If the NBB project proceeds smoothly, the GM male mosquitoes, developed by the British-based company Oxitec, will mate with female aedes, but the offspring will be dead even before they hatch.
The project has come under fire from several quarters, including the Third World Network, which has said that the aedes progeny will be dead only if the eggs are laid at areas not exposed to an antibiotic called tetracycline, which is commonly used in agriculture.
Tunku Naquiyuddin called upon the NBB to conduct further studies, especially on aedes behaviour, before releasing GM mosquitoes to the wild.
“Firstly, we must understand that aedes is an urban mosquito, as the female needs human blood to nourish its eggs,” he said.
“So if they are releasing the GM mosquitos in a place with no people, it defeats the purpose.
“Plus, the male and the female are naturally paired off with one another upon hatching, based on the wing beat rhythm. So I am not so sure how the male GM mosquito will be mating with the female as it is a third party in the ecosystem.”
He wonders whether the GM project has gone through enough stringent testing.
“If you are taking the Cayman Islands test in 2009 as an example, you will roughly need about 60 billion GM mosquitoes to cover an area the size of Malaysia.
“And I hear there is a 3% chance that the progeny of the GM mosquito may survive.
“You have to look at the practicality of the release in terms of its cost, effectiveness, safety features and comfort level of the public.”
Most lethal animal
He said people were naturally sceptical since the tiny insect had managed to adapt itself well for millions of years.
“We are talking about the most lethal animal on the planet, one that has outsmarted scientists throughout the ages. So if a dozen scientists say they can combat the mosquito, naturally people will be sceptical.”
He said although his company had yet to make Mousticide available to the public, it had already received queries from Tanzania, Ghana,Turkey, Cameroon and Sri Lanka.
He said EntoGenex also planned to educate children about aedes and dengue.
“We plan to educate them in an animated and interactive way. With education, the kids will become mosquito experts and they will talk to their families and peers on the menace.
“Plus,we also plan to bring in the corporate sector by getting them to adopt certain mosquito prone areas for this programme so that we can replicate what we have done in Gombak in those areas.”
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