Metarhizium Pingshaense Fire Ant Control Patent
Summary
A Metarhizium pingshaense strain isolated from wild sources is disclosed as exhibiting high virulence against Solenopsis invicta (red imported fire ants). The strain may be applied directly for ant control or used as a basis for constructing an engineered strain with improved control efficacy. The engineered strain causes infected ant cadavers to volatilize longifolene, an attractant that lures worker ants and disrupts their hygienic behavior, creating a secondary传播 effect. The application was filed on January 17, 2025, and published on April 23, 2026.
“The M. pingshaense strain is a strain isolated from the wild and is highly virulent to the S. invicta.”
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GovPing monitors USPTO Patent Applications - Biotech (C12N) for new healthcare & life sciences regulatory changes. Every update since tracking began is archived, classified, and available as free RSS or email alerts — 268 changes logged to date.
What changed
USPTO published patent application US20260107949A1 covering a naturally isolated Metarhizium pingshaense strain with high virulence toward Solenopsis invicta (red imported fire ant), along with an engineered derivative. The engineered strain is designed to produce longifolene from infected ant cadavers, attracting additional workers and suppressing colony hygiene behavior. CPC classifications span biocontrol compositions (A01N 63/30), insecticides (A01P 7/04), and engineered gene sequences (C12N 9/0008, C12N 15/80).
Entities engaged in biological pesticide research, agricultural biocontrol product development, or commercial fire ant management should review the application's claims for freedom-to-operate implications. The application names five named inventors and covers both the wild-isolated strain and its genetically engineered derivative, making it relevant to parties developing microbial pest control products for turf, agricultural, or structural settings.
Archived snapshot
Apr 24, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
METARHIZIUM PINGSHAENSE STRAIN FOR CONTROLLING SOLENOPSIS INVICTA, AND ENGINEERED STRAIN AND USE THEREOF
Application US20260107949A1 Kind: A1 Apr 23, 2026
Inventors
Weiguo FANG, Meihong NI, Yubo ZHANG, Mingxing JIANG, Xingyuan TANG
Abstract
A Metarhizium pingshaense strain for controlling Solenopsis invicta, and an engineered strain and use thereof are provided, relating to the technical field of controlling Solenopsis invicta. The M. pingshaense strain is a strain isolated from the wild and is highly virulent to the S. invicta. It can be used to control the S. invicta or to construct an engineered strain with improved S. invicta control efficacy. The constructed engineered strain exhibits high virulence to the S. invicta, and enables the ant cadavers infected by the strain to volatilize a large amount of the attractant longifolene of the S. invicta. As a result, the ant cadavers exhibit a luring and killing effect on workers of the S. invicta, significantly limiting the hygienic behavior of the workers.
CPC Classifications
A01N 63/30 A01N 43/54 A01P 7/04 A01P 19/00 C12N 9/0008 C12N 15/80 C12Y 102/01012
Filing Date
2025-01-17
Application No.
19027077
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