# Potential for Bacillus thuringiensis and Other Bacterial Toxins as Biological Control Agents to Combat Dipteran Pests of Medical and Agronomic Importance

## TL;DR

This review explores how bacteria like Bacillus thuringiensis can be used to control harmful flies that spread diseases and damage crops.

## Contribution

The paper compiles all known bacterial proteins with insecticidal activity against dipteran pests.

## Key findings

- Bacillus thuringiensis produces insecticidal proteins effective against various insect orders.
- Other entomopathogenic bacteria also produce proteins active against dipteran pests.
- These bacterial toxins have potential for use in biological pest control.

## Abstract

The control of dipteran pests is highly relevant to humans due to their involvement in the transmission of serious diseases including malaria, dengue fever, Chikungunya, yellow fever, zika, and filariasis; as well as their agronomic impact on numerous crops. Many bacteria are able to produce proteins that are active against insect species. These bacteria include Bacillus thuringiensis, the most widely-studied pesticidal bacterium, which synthesizes proteins that accumulate in crystals with insecticidal properties and which has been widely used in the biological control of insects from different orders, including Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, and Diptera. In this review, we summarize all the bacterial proteins, from B. thuringiensis and other entomopathogenic bacteria, which have described insecticidal activity against dipteran pests, including species of medical and agronomic importance.