Scientists have created a fungus that can kill more than 99% of mosquitoes!

There are over 600 square meters of greenhouse space in Africa where a group of scientists struggle to find mosquitoes. fly killer Just over a month ago, 1,500 drug-resistant mosquitoes were released into the greenhouse, which can't be controlled with insecticides. It took them a long time to count 13 mosquitoes alive.

In addition to the blockbuster policy study, which also appeared in the top academic journal Science today, the team represents the latest advances in humanity's fight against mosquitoes.

The success of this research is a combination of simple human life experience and advanced gene editing technology. cockroach insecticide spray It is well known that fungi can infect insects and make them unable to reproduce. It has long been believed that fungi kill pests naturally - a team of researchers discovered in 2005 that a fungus called Metaria anisopliae could kill mosquitoes and potentially prevent malaria from spreading.

Scientists, however, have been disappointed with its practical application. The fungus works too slowly! Many mosquitoes spread malaria before they are killed. mosquito killer Later, they tested a wide range of fungi to find a powerful mosquito killer, but the results were still disappointing. Therefore, the technology was not further promoted.

A multinational team of scientists from the United States and Africa decided to experiment with genetic engineering since natural fungi cannot kill mosquitoes effectively. In order to kill the mosquitoes, they found a particular green fungus, Metarhizium hirayama, and introduced a toxin from Australian spiders. Once it comes into contact with the mosquito's "blood," it is activated and kills it.

In addition, this toxin is approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency for spraying directly on crops to kill pests. Therefore, its safety and efficacy have been proven.

Researchers say just one or two spores of this genetically modified fungus can infect a mosquito with a deadly virus.

A new mosquito-killing fungus would be tested in Burkina Faso, which has one of the highest malaria rates in the world and mosquitoes have developed early resistance to common insecticides.

Several greenhouses have been set up with 500 males and 1,000 females of insecticide-resistant mosquitoes. The researchers will introduce a cow twice a week to the greenhouse for the mosquitoes to drink blood from.

The researchers began testing the mosquito-killing fungus in this case. After finding out that female mosquitoes prefer dark surfaces after eating, they mixed the fungus with sesame oil and applied it to a black cotton cloth and hung it in the hut.

The number of mosquitoes in the control greenhouse was over 2,500 after 45 days (only a black cotton cloth coated with sesame oil was used). When a genetically modified fungus is applied to a black cotton cloth, the mosquito population drops dramatically. This confirms that Metarhizium anisopliae is lethal to mosquitoes.

After 45 days, the researchers counted only 13 mosquitoes on cotton cloth coated with the modified fungus, with a kill rate of over 99 percent.

In addition, the modified fungus attacks only mosquitoes. "The fungi are very selective," says Professor Raymond J. St. Leger. "They can tell where they are by the chemical signals around them and by the structure of the insect." As the fungus found itself on the surface of the mosquito, it penetrated its skin and entered its body. Because it doesn't affect other insects, it doesn't harm beneficial insects."