{
  "id": 6313212,
  "title": "Montana’s weed-control fly was linked to 3x more hantavirus-positive mice",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/08/montanas-weed-control-fly-was-linked-to-3x-more-hantavirus-positive",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-08T17:37:32.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Times of India",
    "slug": "times-of-india",
    "url": "https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/in-1973-montana-released-a-gall-fly-to-control-spotted-knapweed-decades-later-the-biocontrol-program-was-linked-to-over-3-times-more-hantavirus-positive-deer-mice/articleshow/133935506.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Controlling invasive spotted knapweed biologically has initiated an unexpected ecological chain reaction. Gall flies, introduced as a control measure, have turned into a vital winter food source for deer mice, causing a surge in their populations and an uptick in hantavirus spread. Areas dense with knapweed report more infected mice than those with native grasslands.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}