Final Argumentative Essay
Final Argumentative Essay
Final Argumentative Essay
Professor Matyakubova
English 21003, Section K
Final Argumentative Essay
October 23rd, 2016
Eradication for the Greater Good
Abstract page
The purpose of this experiment is to develop a new kind of approach based on
existing technologies that will help to solve the world epidemic of diseases caused by
mosquitoes. Earlier methods such as nets, fogging areas, and clearing out puddles where
mosquitoes can breed, were successful to various degrees, but were more of desperate
measures to stop the existing spread of the diseases, rather than eradicating them (Oxitec
5) (Vesper et al. 7). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the total
number of human casualties as a result of mosquito-related diseases has an average of
one million per year (WHO 2-4). However, rather than stopping the spread of the
diseases, why not eradicate them all? The way we do this is by investing more on
genetically modified mosquitoes (GMO mosquitoes). These GMO mosquitoes are bred,
and gene sequences are injected in these mosquitoes that contain pathogenic substance
for the sterility of female mosquitoes and degeneration of mosquito eggs.
million people for life. In the long run, investing in these technologies could save us
millions of dollars that could be better used elsewhere (Petroff, 5).
figure explains how these GMO mosquitoes will be bred in the lab.
These GMO mosquitoes are bred in the lab and have been closely monitored for
their values. Oxitecs mosquitoes were designed at the genetic level for futility. This
futility, however, couldnt be more advantageous for humans. As seen in figure 2, when
the mosquitoes are still developing snug in their eggs in Oxitec labs, the eggs are
individually injected with certain gene codes. Some are responsible for passing on a gene
lethal to the mosquitoes offspring. Once a few of these eggs hatch, the resulting
mosquitoes develop and mate, producing a new generation of mosquitoes that will die in
the larval stage (Oxitec FAQ 2-8). Another gene code that is inserted into developing
eggs causes sterility in males (known as OX513A mosquitoes). Sterile males grow up to
mate with fertile females, but no offspring are produced from their mating. Once released
into the wild, these sterile mosquitoes compete with wild males and mate with wild
females, producing either fruitless mating or offspring that do not survive into adulthood.
In essence, these weapons thin the population of these mosquitoes over a short span of
time, until the population can no longer sustains itself, leading to a population crash
(Carvalho et al. 2016).
As dangerous and deadly as mosquitoes are, it is important to review the effects
that their extinction could have on the ecological systems in which they are found.
According to Elizabeth Miller, a mosquito expert, mosquitoes larvae that are found in
water provide food for fish and other wildlife. She explains that the larvae themselves eat
and recycle microscopic organic matter in water. Adult mosquitoes serve as food for
insects, birds, bats and spiders and they also help in the pollination of some flowers by
consuming the flowers nectar (Miller 7). This experiment is not looking to eradicate all
species of mosquitoes, but just the disease-carrying ones. According to the CDC, there
are about 3500 species of mosquitoes and of those only about 30 to 40 species are
disease-carriers. Of those 30 to 40 species, only the female mosquitoes actually transmit
malaria, yellow fever, dengue, zika and others (CDC 7). Eradicating these 30-40 species
that have been causing human casualties for hundreds of years would barely make an
imprint on the total population of mosquitoes, leaving over 3,450 species of mosquitoes
to continue playing their role in the ecosystem. When it comes to these major disease
vectors, "it's difficult to see what the downside would be", says insect ecologist Steven
Juliano, of Illinois State University (Fang 3).
Also, many scientists and conservationists may worry about the ethical aspects of
such a task. If humans were allowed to eradicate a mosquito species for their own reasons
then what is stopping humans from killing off other species? Well, extinction of species is
a normal aspect of life; it is a part of natural selection and has been occurring long before
humans even existed. For example, according to the Centers for Diseases and Control, the
5th mass extinction killed off 96% of the worlds species, and during this time humans
never existed. Mosquitoes are known to cause some of the worlds deadliest diseases to
mankind, and since this experiment is not looking to eradicate all mosquitoes, but just the
disease carrying ones, then what is stopping us?
It is clear that the potential benefits here outweigh the concerns. The specific
disease-carrying mosquitoes that we propose targeting arent known to be crucial to any
food chains, limiting any ecological effects that their elimination might bring about. As
time goes on, more lives will be saved with less and less money. This new technology
will allow for the removal of the mosquito problem at its root, with a level of precision
similar to a surgeons scalpel. In essence, Oxitecs creations have allowed for a paradigm
shift: dealing with mosquitoes doesnt need to be primarily defensive; it can be
aggressively combative. This new methods of eradication may have a high initial cost
but the results are tangible; the technology is at the tip of our fingers ready to be put to
use and the potential returns are vast.
Works Cited
Adelman, Zach N. Genetic Control of Malaria and Dengue. Oxford, United Kingdom:
Academic Press, 2015. Print.
Carvalho, Danilo O. et al. "Suppression of a Field Population of Aedes Aegypti in
Brazil by Sustained Release of Transgenic Male Mosquitoes." PLOS-Neglected
Tropical Diseases. <http://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?
id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0003864>., 2 July 2015. Web. Accessed 06 Sept. 2016
Engber, Daniel. "Its Time to Wipe Mosquitoes Off the Face of the Earth." Slate
Magazine.
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2016/01/zika_carrying_
mosquitoes_are_a_global_scourge_and_must_be_stopped.html.
Slate, 29 Jan. 2016. Web. 15 Nov. 2016. Accessed 11 Nov. 2016.
Fang, Janet. "Ecology: A World without Mosquitoes." Nature 466.7305 (2010): 432-34.
Web.http://izt.ciens.ucv.ve/ecologia/Archivos/ECO_POB
%202010/ECOPO6_2010/Fang%20%20y%20otros%202010.pdf. Accessed 15
Nov 2016
Global Health - Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria. Anopheles Mosquitoes.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2015. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.
https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/resources/pdf/cdc_malaria.pdf. Accessed 15 Oct.
2016
Kim M. Pepin et al. Cost-effectiveness of Novel Systems of Mosquito Surveillance and