Reprogramming Invertebrate Pests (RIPest): Using phages for by-proxy pest modifications

Invertebrates like mosquitoes, ticks, aphids, sea lice, termites, lice, and bed bugs pose significant threats to food production, the environment, and human health by transmitting diseases, causing crop, and structural damage. Effective pest control measures are essential to mitigate their impact on public health, food security, and ecosystems. Using bacteria-infecting viruses to eliminate essential bacteria in pest-related microbiomes for pest control raises sustainable, ecological, and practical solutions. Phage therapy and microbiome modifications have the potential to target harmful pests with high specificity and offer sustainable solutions for pest control.