Laboratory and Field Evaluation of the Entomopathogenic Fungus <I>Metarhizium anisopliae</I> (Deuteromycetes) for Controlling Questing Adult <I>Ixodes scapularis</I> (Acari: Ixodidae)

Abstract

Unfed adult Ixodes scapularis Say were treated with spores of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae Metschnikoff in the laboratory and in the field. An M. anisopliae suspension containing 4 x 10(9) spores per milliliter caused 96% mortality in the laboratory, versus 53% mortality among field-treated ticks. The LC50 value for unfed adult I. scapularis in the laboratory was 4 x 10(7) spores per milliliter. Our results indicate that M. anisopliae was highly pathogenic to unfed adult ticks and showed potential for controlling questing adult I scapularis.

Effect of Metarhizium anisopliae (Ascomycete), Cypermethrin, and D-Limonene, Alone and Combined, on Larval Mortality of Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Acari: Ixodidae)

“…Our results with M. anisopliae support earlier reports on the impact of the fungus on R. sanguineus, and Ixodes scapularis (Benjamin et al 2002). The role of spore density has been reported to play an important role in reaching the threshold for an effective penetration of the tick's cuticle and subsequent death of the larva (Zhioua et al 1997).…”

“…Ticks were then placed in Petri plates 90 Â 100 mm containing a double layer of filter paper (Whatman No. 1; Whatman International Ltd, England) moistened with distilled water and incubated at 25 6 1 C, 90% RH, and a photoperiod of 12:12 (L:D) h (Benjamin et al 2002) until ready for egg laying (Kaaya and Hassan 2000). Eggs were incubated under the same conditions as adults until the eclosion of the larvae.…”

Intracellular infection of tick cell lines by the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae

“…These include tick species from a wide range of genera that are of economic, medical and veterinary importance such as Amblyomma, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) and Ixodes (Fernandes et al, 2003;Kirkland et al, 2004b;Pirali-Kheirabadi et al, 2007). Indeed, specific application methods have been developed for use of entomopathogenic fungi against Ixodes scapularis, the carrier of the Lyme-disease-causing spirochaete Borrelia burgdorferi, and various livestock ticks, such as Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus and Amblyomma variegatum (Benjamin et al, 2002;Bittencourt, 2000;Kaaya, 2000;Maranga et al, 2006). Some tick species, such as Dermacentor variabilis and Amblyomma americanum, display a level of resistance to fungal infection that can be overcome by specific inoculation conditions that modify the chemical and structural composition of the cuticle (Kirkland et al, 2004a(Kirkland et al, , 2005.…”

Comparative in vitro anti-tick efficacy of commercially available products and newly developed phyto-formulations against field collected and resistant tick lines of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus

“…Moreover, none of the vaccine is giving significant protection against multi-species tick infestations, a common problem faced by the livestock owners of Asia and Africa. Similarly, fungal biopesticides and entomopathogenic nematodes proved unsuccessful (Benjamin et al 2002;Polar et al 2005).…”