Researchers announced a week ago that Metarhizium, a fungus used to control pests, can be genetically engineered to emit a sweet smell that lures mosquitoes and kills them. Mosquitoes are among the deadliest animals in the world. They can spread malaria and other diseases, which kill one million people each year.
During a lab experiment, the majority of the mosquitoes were killed due to the fungi. Scientists have said this can be an affordable and eco-friendly way to get rid of mosquitoes. Nnimmo Bassey, who is a part of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation, which is an advocacy group in Nigeria, says "...fighting malaria through genetic engineering is dangerous". He worries that the fungus might also kill other organisms in the environment. Dana Perls, who is a part of an environmental group called Friends of the Earth, also voices her concern about the use of genetic engineering of fungi. Perls states, "Genetic engineering of fungus could have problematic negative public health impacts and unpredictable ripple effects on the ecosystems, affecting pollinators, bats, and bees. Like with all genetic engineering, this needs to be addressed with great caution".
Raymond St. Leger, a professor at the University of Maryland and who was also a part of the study, states that much more research is going to be needed before letting fungi in the wild mix with other organisms. According to Leger, based on the lab experiments done so far, the fungus is non-toxic to the other insects.
References:
https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2019/05/30/727884309/scientists-genetically-modify-fungus-to-kill-mosquitoes-that-spread-malaria
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/01/science/fungus-mosquitoes-genetic-engineering.html
In the picture, this mosquito was infected by two types of Metarhizium fungi. One glows green, while the other glows red.
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