[katieHaylor (OP)]

Staffan says:

Let's say we would put a gene drive in mosquitoes to eradicate dengue fever. When the mosquitoes die, they get broken apart by smaller organisms. What do we know about transfer of DNA from insects to microorganisms?


Can you help?

[evan_au]

What do we know about transfer of DNA from insects to microorganisms?

We know that microorganisms digest biological polymers down to their molecular components, and then reassemble them into large molecules which go to make more microorganisms.

The same goes for insectivorous birds.

It takes specialist pathogens like cholera to survive the acidic and alkaline conditions in the human digestive system and thrive there. Most other things are broken down into components which are so small that it would be impossible to recognize whether the original foodstuff was genetically engineered or not.

Cotton which has been genetically engineered to be toxic to bollworm produces toxins which act after digestion, but before they can be broken down by the insects digestive system.

However, mosquitos which are resistant to dengue fever would have no toxic chemicals introduced, as mosquitos are a source of food in the ecosystem - and you would not want to harm birds that keep mosquitoes under control (or microorganisms which helpfully dispose of dead mosquitoes).