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Spielman and D'Antonio report how some scientists "are trying to deprive mosquitos of their ability to spread parasitic infections" such as malaria and dengue fever by altering the genetic makeup of the mosquitos. The strategy of one entomologist, Alexander Raikhel, proposes boosting "the immune response of mosqitos so that they kill pathogens they would normally harbor and pass on to humans." Raikhel and other scientists would release the genetically mutated mosquitos into the wild, allowing them to pass along their traits to wild mosquitos. However, genetic manipulation of mosquitos "is not without risk." At worse, it could "lead to "epidemics as wild mosquitos rebound."

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