如果你想消灭蚊子，就养上它个上亿蚊子然后一股脑放出去……美国人有幸成为了这一思想的践行者。近日，美国佛罗里达州监管中心批准了一项计划——允许在2021年和2022年向佛罗里达群岛释放7.5亿只经过基因改造的蚊子，希望通过让蚊子“断子绝孙”的方式，减少当地携带登革热或寨卡病毒等疾病的伊蚊数量。
Florida releases genetically modified mosquitoes in hopes to reduce spread of disease
Genetically modified mosquitoes have been released for the first time in the United States, taking flight in the Florida Keys in a pilot program intended to reduce the spread of deadly diseases such as dengue, yellow fever and the Zika virus.
美国近日在弗罗里达群岛首次释放了转基因蚊子，目的是减少登革热、黄热病及寨卡病毒等致命病毒的传播。
After an odyssey spanning more than a decade to secure regulatory approval, British-based biotechnology firm Oxitec, along with the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District (FKMCD) launched the project in hope of reducing the Aedes aegypti species that spread the diseases.
英国生物技术公司Oxitec与佛罗里达群岛蚊子控制区（FKMCD）共同发起了该项目，希望减少传播致命疾病的埃及伊蚊的数量。经过十多年的努力，终于通过了监管部门批准。
The company says similar projects have had over a 90 percent success rate in Brazil, Panama, the Cayman Islands and Malaysia.
该公司表示，在巴西、巴拿马、开曼群岛和马来西亚，类似项目的成功率超过90％。
How will the genetically modified mosquitoes be released?
转基因蚊子将如何释放？
To unleash these mosquitoes into the wild, boxes that contain the genetically altered male eggs are being put across six locations in the Florida Keys during the last week of April and first week of May. Water and food are added, Oxitec says, and the male mosquitoes will hatch and join the Aedes aegypti mosquito population in the area, starting in May.
为了将这些蚊子释放到野外，4月底5月初，Oxitec在佛罗里达群岛的六个地点放置了装有转基因雄性蚊子卵的盒子，并添加了水和食物。从5月开始，雄蚊将孵化并进入该地区的埃及伊蚊种群。
Although the program was initially approved to release 750 million mosquitoes over the course of this year and next year, Oxitec expects that, this year, fewer than 12,000 mosquitoes will actually emerge each week for about 12 weeks.
尽管该计划最初批准可以在今年和明年释放7.5亿只蚊子，但Oxitec预计，今年，在大约12周的时间内，实际上每周产生的蚊子将少于12,000只。
How can the plan work?
转基因蚊子如何灭蚊？
As you may know, male mosquitoes feed on nectar from flowers — and don’t bite humans. On the other hand, female mosquitoes do bite humans because they need a blood meal to produce and deposit eggs.
如你所知，雄蚊以花蜜为食，不会咬人。而雌性蚊子确实会咬人，因为它们需要血液才能产卵。
While the mosquito bite itself may itch, the bite may also lead to the spread of disease. For example, the Aedes aegypti mosquito is responsible for transmitting diseases that include dengue, Zika, and yellow fever to humans, as well as transmitting heartworm and other potentially deadly diseases to pets.
被蚊虫叮咬不但可能会发痒，也可能导致疾病传播。例如，埃及伊蚊会将登革热、寨卡病毒和黄热病等疾病传播给人类，以及将心丝虫和其他可能致命的疾病传播给宠物。
The genetically modified male mosquitoes will carry a “self-limiting gene” that prevents the survival of their female offspring, Oxitec explains. After the male eggs hatch and grow to maturity, the males will eventually mate with the local female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and pass on the modified genes — which will result in female offspring dying before they become adults.
Oxitec解释说：转基因的雄性蚊子会携带 “自限性基因”，这会限制其雌性后代的生存。雄性卵孵化成雄蚊并成熟后，最终会与当地的雌性埃及伊蚊交配，并将修改过的致病基因遗传给后代，这将导致其雌性后代在幼虫阶段就死亡了。
Residential pushback
当地居民的抵制
Opposition to the Florida field trial has been fierce from some residents in the Keys. Worried about being bitten by the mosquitoes or that the insects will disrupt the Florida ecosystem — and generally unhappy about being chosen as a test site — some have threatened to derail the experiments by spraying insecticides near the release points.
佛罗里达群岛的居民强烈反对这项试验。他们担心会被蚊虫叮咬，也担心这些转基因蚊虫会破坏佛罗里达的生态系统。他们对被选为实验点感到不满，一些人甚至威胁要在释放点附近喷洒杀虫剂来破坏实验。
【相关词汇】
genetically modified：转基因的，基因改良的
genetically altered：基因改变的
pilot program：试点项目；试点方案
例句：We will expand the pilot program for renovating dilapidated houses in rural areas.
扩大农村危房改造试点范围。
odyssey：艰苦的跋涉；漫长而充满风险的历程
【词源】From the Odyssey, a Greek poem that is said to have been written by Homer, about the adventures of Odysseus. After a battle in Troy Odysseus had to spend ten years travelling before he could return home. 源自希腊史诗《奥德赛》，相传为荷马所作，描述了奥德修斯在特洛伊战争后，辗转十年返回家园的种种经历。
例句：I do not know how far this green odyssey will take us, but that does not stop me dreaming. 我不知道我们能在这场绿色冒险之旅中走多远，但这并不能阻止我心怀梦想。
self-limiting：自限性；自我限制
offspring：子女；后代
pushback：（对变革、计划等的）推拒，抵制，拒绝
derail：（使）脱轨，出轨