Transgenic arthropods for pest management programs: risks and realities

The ability to genetically engineer arthropods using recombinant DNA methods opens new opportunities for improving pest management programs but also creates new responsibilities, including evaluation of the potential risks of releasing transgenic arthropods into the environment. It is now becoming easier to transform diverse species of arthropods by a variety of recombinant DNA methods. Useful genes and genetic regulatory elements are being identified for pest arthropods, but less effort is being expended to identify genes that could improve the efficacy of beneficial arthropods. A transgenic strain of the natural enemy Metaseiulus (= Typhlodromus or Galendromus) occidentalis (Acari: Phytoseiidae) was developed using a method termed maternal microinjection. This transgenic strain was released into an experimental site on the campus of the University of Florida in 1996 after extensive reviews by the University of Florida Biosafety Committee, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The short term releases established a precedent for releasing a transgenic arthropod but, at present, no guidelines are available that would allow transgenic arthropods to be released permanently into the environment. Several scientific, environmental, and policy issues must be resolved before transgenic pests or beneficial arthropods can be deployed in practical pest management programs.