Soda-baited RNAi yeast insecticides as effective Attractive Targeted Sugar Baits (ATSBs) for mosquito control
5 affiliations
- 1Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, South Bend, Indiana, United States of America
- 2Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America
- 3Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago
- 4College of Arts and Letters, The University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America
- 5Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America
Abstract
Background: Attractive Targeted Sugar Baits (ATSBs) are a promising, environmentally friendly approach for mosquito control, but the direct field application, scalability and long-term effectiveness of ATSBs across diverse mosquito species remain significant challenges. Methodology/Principal findings: We assessed the efficacy of a genetically engineered RNA interference (RNAi) yeast strain (Sh.463) formulated in three sugar baits: soda (Coca-Cola), 10% sucrose, and a commercial mosquito bait (BaitStab), on Aedes, Anopheles and Culex mosquitoes. All RNAi yeast bait formulations induced significantly higher mean mortality (87–100%) compared to the control groups (0–9%), but RNAi yeast-soda baits resulted in significantly higher mortality rates of 94–100% recorded across all mosquito species. Additionally, to assess the competitiveness of the RNAi yeast-soda bait to other tropical sugar sources, semi-field choice assays were conducted in Trinidad, West Indies using competing flowering plants and fruits typically found in residential environments. The RNAi yeast-soda ATSB continued to perform well in the presence of many competing floral and fruit sugar sources during both Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus trials, but the presence of several fruits and flowers did significantly reduce Sh.463-induced mosquito mortality with the degree of competitive deterrence being heavily modulated by mosquito species, sex, and floral resource, suggesting that further field testing will be necessary. The residual activity of the Sh.463 + soda formulation was retained for at least 14 months, with sustained 100% mortality in C. quinquefasciatus and 93–100% mortality in Aedes aegypti, Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles stephensi. The RNAi yeast-soda ATSB also performed well in semi-field studies performed with a prototype soda bottle feeder. Conclusions/Significance: This study demonstrates the potential of soda-baited RNAi yeast as a potent, long-lasting, and scalable platform for ATSB-based mosquito control as a component of integrated vector management programs. Author summary: Mosquito-borne diseases continue to affect millions of people worldwide, and current mosquito control methods face challenges such as low public uptake, insecticide resistance and environmental concerns. Here we evaluated a new and environmentally friendly approach to mosquito control using ATSBs. We tested genetically engineered species-specific yeast producing RNAi molecules capable of killing mosquitoes that feed on it. We mixed the yeast with three different sugar baits, including soda, 10% sucrose, and the commercial mosquito bait BaitStab formulation, and evaluated how well they worked against different mosquitoes. The results showed that the RNAi yeast mixed with soda was the most effective, killing up to 100% of mosquitoes in laboratory and outdoor tests. The bait remained effective in the presence of many competing natural tropical fruit and floral sugar sources. Remarkably, the bait, which can be delivered in a soda bottle feeder, stayed active for at least 14 months under simulated field conditions. These findings suggest that soda-based RNAi yeast baits could provide a practical, long-lasting and scalable tool for mosquito control and may help strengthen future strategies to reduce mosquito-borne diseases.
Related
- Targeted insertion of an optimized donor DNA is effective in a humanized mouse model of dominant retinitis pigmentosa
- Metabolic resistance drives cross-resistance in Aedes albopictus to pyriproxyfen and pyrethroid insecticides
- Thioredoxin h1-targeted proteins in European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.): Insights into metabolic control, stress response, and seed longevity
- From Ligand Binding to Pore Opening in the Mosquito Odorant Receptor AaegOR10
- Invasive mosquito species Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are competent vectors for Barmah Forest Virus
BibTeX
@article{stewart2026sodabaited,
title = {{Soda-baited RNAi yeast insecticides as effective Attractive Targeted Sugar Baits (ATSBs) for mosquito control}},
author = {Akilah T. M. Stewart and Majidah Hamid-Adiamoh and Teresia M. Njoroge and Longhua Sun and Nikhella Winter-Reece and Rachel Shui Feng and Satish Singh and Lester D. James and Britton Sofhauser and Carolina Dille and Azad Mohammed and David W. Severson and Molly Duman-Scheel},
journal = {PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pntd.0014319},
url = {https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0014319},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Soda-baited RNAi yeast insecticides as effective Attractive Targeted Sugar Baits (ATSBs) for mosquito control
AU - Akilah T. M. Stewart
AU - Majidah Hamid-Adiamoh
AU - Teresia M. Njoroge
AU - Longhua Sun
AU - Nikhella Winter-Reece
AU - Rachel Shui Feng
AU - Satish Singh
AU - Lester D. James
AU - Britton Sofhauser
AU - Carolina Dille
AU - Azad Mohammed
AU - David W. Severson
AU - Molly Duman-Scheel
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/21
JO - PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
DO - 10.1371/journal.pntd.0014319
UR - https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0014319
AB - Background: Attractive Targeted Sugar Baits (ATSBs) are a promising, environmentally friendly approach for mosquito control, but the direct field application, scalability and long-term effectiveness of ATSBs across diverse mosquito species remain significant challenges. Methodology/Principal findings: We assessed the efficacy of a genetically engineered RNA interference (RNAi) yeast strain (Sh.463) formulated in three sugar baits: soda (Coca-Cola), 10% sucrose, and a commercial mosquito bait (BaitStab), on Aedes, Anopheles and Culex mosquitoes. All RNAi yeast bait formulations induced significantly higher mean mortality (87–100%) compared to the control groups (0–9%), but RNAi yeast-soda baits resulted in significantly higher mortality rates of 94–100% recorded across all mosquito species. Additionally, to assess the competitiveness of the RNAi yeast-soda bait to other tropical sugar sources, semi-field choice assays were conducted in Trinidad, West Indies using competing flowering plants and fruits typically found in residential environments. The RNAi yeast-soda ATSB continued to perform well in the presence of many competing floral and fruit sugar sources during both Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus trials, but the presence of several fruits and flowers did significantly reduce Sh.463-induced mosquito mortality with the degree of competitive deterrence being heavily modulated by mosquito species, sex, and floral resource, suggesting that further field testing will be necessary. The residual activity of the Sh.463 + soda formulation was retained for at least 14 months, with sustained 100% mortality in C. quinquefasciatus and 93–100% mortality in Aedes aegypti, Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles stephensi. The RNAi yeast-soda ATSB also performed well in semi-field studies performed with a prototype soda bottle feeder. Conclusions/Significance: This study demonstrates the potential of soda-baited RNAi yeast as a potent, long-lasting, and scalable platform for ATSB-based mosquito control as a component of integrated vector management programs. Author summary: Mosquito-borne diseases continue to affect millions of people worldwide, and current mosquito control methods face challenges such as low public uptake, insecticide resistance and environmental concerns. Here we evaluated a new and environmentally friendly approach to mosquito control using ATSBs. We tested genetically engineered species-specific yeast producing RNAi molecules capable of killing mosquitoes that feed on it. We mixed the yeast with three different sugar baits, including soda, 10% sucrose, and the commercial mosquito bait BaitStab formulation, and evaluated how well they worked against different mosquitoes. The results showed that the RNAi yeast mixed with soda was the most effective, killing up to 100% of mosquitoes in laboratory and outdoor tests. The bait remained effective in the presence of many competing natural tropical fruit and floral sugar sources. Remarkably, the bait, which can be delivered in a soda bottle feeder, stayed active for at least 14 months under simulated field conditions. These findings suggest that soda-based RNAi yeast baits could provide a practical, long-lasting and scalable tool for mosquito control and may help strengthen future strategies to reduce mosquito-borne diseases.
SN - 1935-2735
ER -