A mosquito killer may lurk in a Mediterranean bacteria
Mosquito bites are much more than just a red and itchy summertime nuisance. The diseases that they carry are notoriously difficult to control and kill over 700,000 people worldwide every year. What’s more, many mosquitoes have developed resistance to the synthetic insecticides–the same substances that can also pose environmental and health risks. As a solution, microbiologists are looking into biopesticides derived from living organisms. According to a study published July 7 in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology, a bacteria isolate collected from the Mediterranean island of Crete works as insecticides against Culex pipiens molestus mosquitoes. Nicknamed the London Underground mosquito because they bit people sheltering in the city’s underground train stations during World War II, this species can transmit dangerous human pathogens, including West Nile Virus and Rift Valley Fever Virus. Extracts with these metabolites produced by three isolates killed 100 percent of mosquito larvae within 24 hours of exposure. It’s...