#insectvector — Public Fediverse posts

A heartening story about how CRISPR is being used to develop citrus trees resistant to huanglongbing (HLB, also known as citrus greening), carried by the the Asian citrus psyllid.

In 20 years, the disease reduced citrus production in Florida by more than 60%: infected trees can die in as few as 5 years.

If all goes well, in 2027 resistant trees may be planted in commercial orchards.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-researchers-in-florida-are-using-gene-editing-to-protect-the-states-orange-groves

#CitrusProduction #Florida #Oranges #BacterialDisease #InsectVector #CRISPR

the most recent episode of artho-pod is about West Nile Virus, a mosquito-vectored virus
https://arthro-pod.blogspot.com/2023/09/arthro-pod-145-deep-dive-into-west-nile.html

I was surprised to learn how large a role the American Robin plays in its spread!

and, as with many diseases and general public safety issues, it is yet another which USA culture has just memory-holed.

#virus
#mosquito
#insectVector
#birds
#americanRobin