Lucilia transgenic female embryo lethal system published

Male-only releases have several advantages for an SIT program. In 2014 we published a transgenic sexing system for Lucilia cuprina. Although the strains produced only males on diet that lacked tetracycline, females died at the pupal stage. This is not optimal for an SIT program as the female larvae consume diet, which can be expensive. In a recent paper in Scientific Reports, we describe a conditional embryo female lethal system that is very efficient. The system should be transferrable to the New World screwworm. Ying was first author on this study.