Overview

• A University of Maryland team engineered Metarhizium fungus to transfer via male mosquitoes and deliver lethal neurotoxins to female mates
• Burkina Faso field trials showed nearly 90% mortality among exposed female mosquitoes within two weeks versus 4% in control groups
• Researchers confirmed the modified fungus is harmless to humans and makes infected mosquitoes more susceptible to insecticides
• Bioethicists including Christopher Preston warn that intentional suppression of mosquito populations could disrupt ecosystems and pose extinction dilemmas
• Separate efforts using gene drives and Wolbachia bacteria are advancing as complementary strategies to curb disease-carrying mosquitoes