A review of entomopathogenic fungi as a potential tool for mosquito vector control: A cost-effective and environmentally friendly approach

Abstract

Mosquitoes around the world spread diseases like malaria, dengue, zika, lymphatic filariasis and arboviruses, which are dangerous to human health and the economy. Eventually, mosquitoes develop resistance to synthetic chemical insecticides and, moreover, these insecticides have adverse environmental impacts, accumulating in soils and in the food chain. So, researchers are searching for better vector control tools from biological sources such as plants, bacteria, fungi, viruses and other predators. Eco-friendly methods that use entomopathogenic fungi to reduce vector-borne disease burdens are becoming more popular because they are selective and safe for the environment. Based on existing literature, several microbial agents show potential for the biocontrol of mosquitoes. With advances in genetic recombination and transformation techniques, in the ongoing battle against insecticide-resistant mosquitoes, genetically engineered fungal biopesticides represent a cutting-edge solution. These biopesticides are the result of novel genetic changes that improve the ability of fungi to target and kill mosquitoes. These fungi can effectively combat mosquito populations by introducing genes that produce insecticidal proteins or toxins. This method has several advantages, including a lower environmental impact, because the fungi are highly specific to mosquitoes and are harmless to non-target organisms. It also helps to reduce the problem of insecticide resistance because the fungi have a unique mode of action. These biopesticides hold great promise for reducing mosquito-borne diseases while minimizing environmental damage and combating resistance. This review article discusses various entomopathogenic fungal pathogens that can act as biocontrol agents and their mode of action against mosquitoes. We discus recent advances in entomopathogenic fungi-secreted effector molecules for suppressing host immunity and progress in the development of transgenic mosquito-killing fungi.