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Efficacy of a native isolate of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae against larval tick outbreaks under semifield conditions

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Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate Metarhizium anisopliae (Metschn.) Sorokin (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) persistence in the soil and its impact on Rhipicephalus microplus Canestrini (Acari: Ixodidae) larval recovery in a semifield trial after the treatment of female ticks. Nine strains from the genus Metarhizium Sorokin were isolated from the soil in Brazil and taxonomically classified using the ef1-α gene. The thermotolerance of the strains and their in vitro virulence to tick larvae were tested. One M. anisopliae strain was selected and formulated for the semifield test. The presence of M. anisopliae in the soil ranged from 0.4 × 105 to 1.4 × 105 colony forming units per gram of soil after the treatment during the five months of the survey. The fungus-treated grass pots had significantly fewer larvae than did the control pots. Evidence was gathered about the soil persistence of a native M. anisopliae strain and its efficacy in the biological control of ticks.

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Acknowledgements

This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior—Brasil (CAPES)—Finance Code 001, providing MSc scholarship for A.R.C. Corval, E.S. Mesquita, and A.F. Marciano, and National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) of Brazil for providing undergraduate scholarship for T.A. Correa and a PhD scholarship for J. Fiorotti. This research was supported by grants of CNPq (Project #40910220164) and Carlos Chagas Filho Foundation for Research of the State of Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ). We are grateful to Caroline F. Pereira and Danilo M. Akiau (formerly FAPERJ and CNPq undergraduate fellowships) for helping with the heat assay and with the in vitro tests with ticks. We appreciate the advices of the statisticians Dr. Wagner Tassinari, Dr. Celso G. Barbosa, and Dr. Marcus Sandes Pires. V.R.E.P. Bittencourt is a CNPq researcher.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Veterinárias, Instituto de Veterinária, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), Rodovia BR 465, Km 7, Seropédica, RJ, 23897-000, Brazil

    Emily Mesquita, Allan F. Marciano, Amanda R. C. Corval, Jéssica Fiorotti, Vânia R. E. P. Bittencourt & Patrícia S. Golo

  2. Curso de Medicina Veterinária, UFRRJ, Rodovia Br 465, Km 7, Seropédica, RJ, 23890-000, Brazil

    Thaís A. Corrêa

  3. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Avenida Brasil. 4365- Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21040-900, Brazil

    Simone Quinelato

  4. Departamento de Parasitologia Animal, Instituto de Veterinária, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Rodovia BR-465. Km 07. s/n, Seropédica, RJ, 23897-000, Brazil

    Vânia R. E. P. Bittencourt & Patrícia S. Golo

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  1. Emily Mesquita
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  2. Allan F. Marciano
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  3. Amanda R. C. Corval
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  4. Jéssica Fiorotti
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  5. Thaís A. Corrêa
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  7. Vânia R. E. P. Bittencourt
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  8. Patrícia S. Golo
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Patrícia S. Golo.

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All authors state that there are no conflict of interest to declare.

Ethical approval

The ticks used in the present study were obtained from artificially colonized calves after approval by the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro Ethics Committee on Animal Use (CEUA/UFRRJ number 037/2014). As the present study accessed Brazilian genetic heritage, the research was registered at the National System for the Management of Genetic Heritage and Associated Traditional Knowledge (SisGen) under the code AA47CB6.

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Mesquita, E., Marciano, A.F., Corval, A.R.C. et al. Efficacy of a native isolate of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae against larval tick outbreaks under semifield conditions. BioControl 65, 353–362 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-020-10006-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-020-10006-1

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