Journal of Mosquito Research 2024, Vol.14, No.1, 49-60 http://emtoscipublisher.com/index.php/jmr 58 technology will become increasingly important, especially in cross-border biosafety and environmental impact assessment. 6.2 Ethical issues involved in controlling mosquitoes withRhodococcus erythropolis As an endophytic bacterium, Rhodococcus erythropolis has been widely studied and applied to control mosquito populations, especially those that can transmit diseases such as dengue fever, Zika virus, and yellow fever. Although this method demonstrates great potential for controlling infectious diseases, its ethical nature remains a focus of global scientific and public attention. This section will explore in detail the main ethical issues involved in using Streptococcus to control mosquitoes, including the debate on biodiversity conservation and technological interventions in nature. Biodiversity is the sum of the diversity of life on Earth, including the diversity of biological species, ecosystem diversity, and genetic diversity. The main purpose of using Streptococcus as a biological control measure is to reduce the number of mosquitoes that transmit specific diseases. However, this approach may pose a potential threat to biodiversity in ecosystems (Baker et al., 2020). Rhodococcus erythropolis reduces mosquito populations by infecting mosquitoes and interfering with their reproductive systems, but its effects on non-target mosquito populations and other insects are not yet fully understood. If Rhodococcus erythropolis were to accidentally spread to non-target species, it could alter the ecological niches and survival strategies of these species, which in turn could affect the balance of the entire ecosystem. Although mosquitoes are vectors of many diseases, they are also an integral part of many ecosystems, e.g. as an important part of the predator food chain. Reducing mosquito populations may affect other species that rely on them as a food source, such as birds and bats, which could lead to a wider ecological chain reaction. Before deciding on the use of biocontrol technologies such as Rhodococcus erythropolis, it is important to ensure the transparency of the relevant decision-making process and to allow the public to participate in the discussion and decision-making, which will help to enhance the acceptance of and trust in scientific and technological applications by the society. A comprehensive ethical and ecological impact assessment should be conducted before implementing a biological control program. The assessment should include scientific analysis by experts and responses to public concerns to ensure that the control measures are ethically and ecologically acceptable. Long-term monitoring mechanisms should be established to track the ecological effects and potential risks of biocontrol technologies in real time. Contingency plans are also needed to deal with possible negative consequences. In summary, the use of Rhodococcus erythropolis for mosquito control involves multiple ethical considerations, and a reasonable balance needs to be found between effective control of disease transmission and protection of ecological balance. 6.3 Policy recommendations supported by research findings The use of Rhodococcus erythropolis to control mosquitoes, although effective, raises a number of ethical issues. Biodiversity conservation is an important issue. Although the use of Rhodococcus erythropolis is well-targeted, its long-term effects on other populations in the ecosystem are still not fully understood, which may be contrary to the principle of ecological conservation. Technological interventions in nature have also raised ethical controversies. On the one hand, technological intervention can be effective in reducing the spread of diseases and improving public health; on the other hand, over-reliance on biotechnology may lead to the disruption of the natural balance and the impairment of the self-regulatory capacity of ecosystems. When promoting biological control technologies such as Rhodococcus erythropolis, full consideration must be given to their ethical rationality and ecological impact. Policy Recommendations: Provide policy recommendations based on research findings support to guide future biocontrol practices. Given the potential and challenges of Rhodococcus erythropolis mosquito control technologies, the following policy recommendations are intended to provide guidance for future biocontrol practices: Strengthen scientific research: States should invest in basic and applied research to gain insights into the
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQ4ODY0NQ==