Evaluation in vitro of Nomuraea rileyi to control Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus tick. / Avaliação in vitro dos efeitos do agente etiológico Nomuraea rileyi no controle biológico do carrapato Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus.

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2008

RESUMO

Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus causes severe economic losses to the Brazilian cattle raising industry. In nowadays, the control of the cattle tick is especially based on the use of chemical acaricides. The inadequate use of these acaricides allows the development of ticks resistant strains and environmental contamination. Several entomopathogenic fungal species have been investigated to control arthropod populations and, therefore, minimize the damages caused by them. The current study investigates Nomuraea rileyi isolates (Nr 151 and Nr 177) to control the three developmental stages of R. (B.) microplus tick. The fungal isolates were cultivated on modified Sabouraud Maltose Agar with yeast extract (SMAY) at 25 1 C and relative humidity (RH) higher or equal to 80% for 30 days. Conidia were harvested from the SMAY medium surface and suspended in sterile Tween 80 0.1% aqueous solution. The suspensions were adjusted to 108 conidia ml-1 using the hemacytometer, other conidial suspensions (107, 106 and 105 conidia ml-1) were obtained by serial dilution (1:10). The specimens were immersed in 1 ml of conidial suspension for three minutes, while control groups were immersed in Tween 80 0.1% aqueous solution (no conidia). Each treatment or control groups were composed of 10 repetitions. The effects of fungal isolates on engorged female ticks were investigated through the evaluation of the following parameters: pre-oviposition period, oviposition period, egg production, egg incubation and hatching period, and dead tick weight. These data were used to calculate the Nutrient Index and Egg Production Index. The effect of fungal isolates on egg and larva was evaluated by recording the hatchability daily, and mortality (at every 5-day intervals), respectively. In general, N. rileyi isolates did not cause significant alteration of engorged females parameters; however, the isolate Nr 177 at 108 conidia ml-1 significantly reduced larvae hatchability. The percentage of control of engorged females exposed to N. rileyi was 17.15 or 27.62% at 105 or 108 conidia ml-1, respectively. The percent hatchability of eggs exposed to N. rileyi isolates did not differ from control group. The best result with the isolate Nr 177 was observed on non-fed larvae, all conidial suspensions caused significant mortality rates. The isolate Nr 177 at 108 conidia ml-1 caused 14.5% and 69.5% larva mortality only at day 15 and day 20 after treatment, respectively. Other fungal suspensions caused significant larva mortality, but the results were not reasonable as the results observed with the fungal suspension with the highest conidia concentration. The isolate Nr 151 caused low non-fed larva mortality rates, 10% or 15%, at 107 or 108 conidial ml-1, respectively. These results demonstrate that the N. rileyi isolates investigated did not cause significant harmful effect to control R. (B.) microplus tick.

ASSUNTO(S)

medicina veterinaria rhipicephalus (boophilus) microplus controle biológico. nomuraea rileyi biological control. nomuraea rileyi

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