ISSN: 0973-7510

E-ISSN: 2581-690X

Review Article | Open Access
Rajendran Yamini1, Pagalahalli Sankaran Shanmugam1 ,
Marimuthu Murugan1, Nandagopal Geetha2, Subramanian Jeyarani1, Rajasekaran Raghu3 and Subramanian Marimuthu4
1Department of Agricultural Entomology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.
2ICAR–Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.
3Centre for Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.
4Centre for Agricultural Nanotechnology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.
Article Number: 11054 | © The Author(s). 2026
J Pure Appl Microbiol. 2026;20(1):53-65. https://doi.org/10.22207/JPAM.20.1.08
Received: 15 October 2025 | Accepted: 30 December 2025 | Published online: 30 January 2026
Issue online: March 2026
Abstract

Mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and lymphatic filariasis continue to impose enormous health and economic burdens worldwide. The traditional reliance on chemical insecticides has been undermined by the rapid evolution of resistance, ecological concerns, and declining efficacy. Next-generation biocontrol strategies are framed within the concept of a “genomic arms race” between mosquitoes, pathogens, and microbial agents. Entomopathogenic fungi are eco-friendly bioinsecticides with demonstrated efficacy in laboratory, semi-field, and transgenic applications. Symbiont-based approaches, particularly those involving Wolbachia, have been evaluated for their ability to reduce vector competence and spread through populations. Parallel advances in CRISPR-based gene drive technologies have provided transformative tools for population suppression and modification, although their deployment is limited by ethical, ecological, and regulatory concerns. An integrated vector management (IVM) framework combining fungi, gene drives, and symbiont-based tools is proposed as the most promising approach for sustainable mosquito management. This multipronged strategy has the potential to reduce disease transmission, delay resistance development, and minimize ecological disruption, paving the way for resilient, eco-friendly solutions against vector-borne diseases.

Keywords

Mosquito Management, Entomopathogenic Fungi, Wolbachia, Gene Drive, Vector-borne Diseases, Genomic Arms Race, Integrated Vector Management

Article Metrics

Article View: 247

Share This Article

© The Author(s) 2026. Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License which permits unrestricted use, sharing, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.