The US government has approved the deployment of the lab-raised insects to eliminate the Zika- and dengue-transmitting Asian tiger mosquito.

The bacterium causes eggs to die, and spreading treated insects is expected to curb Aedes aegypti populations.

Scientists identify the genes responsible for bacteria-controlled sterility in arthropods.

Infected with Wolbachia, the insects are expected to reduce the spread of dengue and Zika. But scientists say the approach may have limitations.

In the DNA of the WO phage, which infects arthropod-inhabiting Wolbachia, researchers find sequences related to a black widow spider’s toxin and other animal genes.

Bacteria inhabit most tissues in the human body, and genes from some of these microbes have made their way to the human genome. Could this genetic transfer contribute to diseases such as cancer?

DNA transfer is a regular event among bacteria, and research over the past decade has shown that microbes can also shuttle their genetic material to multicellular hosts.

A team of scientists confirm Wolbachia can prevent mosquitoes from transmitting the virus, while another group finds a reliable way to detect the bacteria.

Infecting mosquitoes with Wolbachia greatly reduces the insects’ abilities to transmit the virus.