California could soon become a testing ground for one of Google’s most ambitious public health projects yet.
The tech giant is seeking federal approval to release up to 32 million specially treated mosquitoes in California and Florida over the next two years as part of an effort to reduce the spread of mosquito-borne diseases, including West Nile virus, St. Louis encephalitis, dengue, Zika, chikungunya and yellow fever.
The proposal is currently under review by the US Environmental Protection Agency, which is accepting public comments through 5 June before deciding whether to issue an experimental use permit.
Regulators have not announced where any mosquito releases would occur if the plan is approved.
Researchers say the latest proposal targets Culex mosquitoes, a species known for transmitting West Nile virus and St. Louis encephalitis.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, West Nile virus remains the leading mosquito-borne disease in the U.S.
Those viruses are already established in California, where they circulate naturally among local bird and mosquito populations.
On Friday, a positive sample of West Nile virus was confirmed in Riverside County.
The project is part of Google’s little-known Debug initiative, launched more than a decade ago to develop new technologies aimed at reducing populations of disease-carrying mosquitoes.
Rather than releasing biting insects, the company plans to release male mosquitoes infected with Wolbachia, a naturally occurring bacteria. When the infected males mate with wild female mosquitoes, the offspring do not survive, helping suppress mosquito populations over time.
Because only female mosquitoes bite humans, experts say the releases would not increase the number of biting mosquitoes.
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