Biotechnological Potential of Microorganisms for Mosquito Population Control and Reduction in Vector Competence

Abstract

Mosquitoes transmit pathogens that cause human diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, chikungunya, yellow fever, Zika fever, and filariasis. Biotechnological approaches using microorganisms have a significant potential to control mosquito populations and reduce their vector competence, making them alternatives to synthetic insecticides. Ongoing research has identified many microorganisms that can be used effectively to control mosquito populations and disease transmission. However, the successful implementation of these newly proposed approaches requires a thorough understanding of the multipronged microorganism–mosquito–pathogen–environment interactions. Although much has been achieved in discovering new entomopathogenic microorganisms, antipathogen compounds, and their mechanisms of action, only a few have been turned into viable products for mosquito control. There is a discrepancy between the number of microorganisms with the potential for the development of new insecticides and/or antipathogen products and the actual available products, highlighting the need for investments in the intersection of basic research and biotechnology.

The potential biological activities of Aspergillus luchuensis-aided green synthesis of silver nanoparticles

“…pipiens larvae than fungal spore’s suspension and fungal cell-free filtrate. Microorganisms, like fungi, bacteria, and protozoa, are included in the biological systems used against mosquitoes and other medical pests ( Hegazy et al, 2022 ; Katak et al, 2023 ). The present results indicate a positive relationship between mortality rate, biosynthesized AgNPs, and dose level, as stated by Sowndarya et al (2017) .…”

Isolation of a Novel Pythium Species, P. thermoculicivorax, and Trichoderma sp. from Natural Enzootic Mosquito Larval Infections

“…Amongst microbial biological agents, the best characterized are Ascomycete entomopathogens (e.g., Beauveria and Metarhizium sp. ), some of which have been commercialized for the control of larvae and adults from a range of mosquito species, including those that have developed resistance to chemical pesticides [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ]. In addition, several mosquito pathogens within the Oomycota, which represent a distinct phylogenetic lineage (pseudofungi and Stramenopiles) apart from the Fungal Kingdom, including a variety of plant and animal pathogens previously described [ 22 , 23 , 24 ].…”