Susceptibility of Anopheles arabiensis Mosquito Pupal Stage to Bioactivities of Varicosporium elodeae and Articulospora inflata

Abstract

One of the greatest challenges facing Africa in the fight against malaria is drug resistance. Resistance to chloroquine, the cheapest and most widely used antimalarial, is common throughout Africa. As a result of this trend, other control strategies are being considered. Biological control of malaria vector, an integral part of controlling malaria has rarely been exploited in Nigeria. Recent developments in this field show that certain fungi displayed activities against Anopheles mosquitoes. Investigation of bioactivities of two entomopathogenic fungi namely Varicosporium elodeae and Articulospora inflata were assessed in vitro on pupal stage of Anopheles mosquitoes in this research. The fungi were applied separately to the pupae. The treatments were conducted in a controlled environment for five days during which mortality of the pupae was checked. The result revealed that the two treatments were significantly different from each other. High mortality was recorded in the groups treated with V. elodeae within 24 hours of post-treatment. In contrast, death of the pupae started after 48 hours of treatment with A. inflata. Varicosporium elodeae appeared more potent than A. inflata; the lethal dose concentrations obtained for the former and latter fungi were LC 50 (2.64 sfu/ml) and LC 50 (5.486 sfu/ml) respectively. Conclusively, V. elodeae and A. inflata biopesticide can potentially be an important component of malaria control strategy in Nigeria.