scholarly journals First Report of Entomopathogenic Fungi Occurrence in Forest Soils in Croatia

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 1690
Author(s):  
Marta Kovač ◽  
Cezary Tkaczuk ◽  
Milan Pernek
Keyword(s):  
Entomopathogenic Fungi ◽  
Culture Media ◽  
Pathogenic Fungi ◽  
Fungal Species ◽  
Biological Pest Control ◽  
Insect Pathogenic Fungi ◽  
Colony Forming Units ◽  
Average Number Density ◽  
Dry Soil ◽  
Forest Habitats

Entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) in Croatian forests are known only from observations of insect cadavers that show obvious signs of disease. To date, their presence in soils has not been investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate their occurrence, diversity, and distribution, and to assess their density in tested soils. Soil samples were collected during 2018, 2019, and 2020 at different localities throughout the country, and analyzed by using a method of isolation of fungi on selective culture media. To assess the density of EPF in tested soils, colonies of individual fungal species were counted and recorded; the results were expressed as the number of colony-forming units (CFU) per gram of dry soil. After morphological and molecular analysis, five entomopathogenic fungal genera were identified: Beauveria spp., Metarhizium spp., Purpureocillium spp., Lecanicillium spp., and Paecilomyces spp. Results also showed that the range of a total EPF colony density in the soil varies from 4 × 103 to 27.4 × 103 CFU g−1. The most common were EPF of the genus Beauveria, which were recorded at four of five locations, and at 16 of 25 sampling points, but the highest average number (density) of colonies belonged to the genus Metarhizium. Since this type of research was never conducted in Croatia previously, this is the first evidence that insect pathogenic fungi are present in soils of different natural forest habitats. Such research can be useful in selecting and utilizing entomopathogens that are suitable for biological pest control in certain target areas.

Entomopathogenic fungi of the order Entomophthorales (Zygomycotina) in adult black fly populations (Diptera: Simuliidae) in Quebec

1994 ◽  
Vol 40 (8) ◽  
pp. 682-686 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin P. Nadeau ◽  
Gary B. Dunphy ◽  
Jacques L. Boisvert
Keyword(s):  
Host Specificity ◽  
Entomopathogenic Fungi ◽  
Adult Stage ◽  
Pathogenic Fungi ◽  
Black Fly ◽  
Simulium Vittatum ◽  
Insect Pathogenic Fungi ◽  
Simulium Decorum

Infections by insect-pathogenic fungi of the order Entomophthorales in two adult black fly populations were studied in the Réserve Faunique du Saint-Maurice (Quebec). Entomophaga near limoniae infected Simulium verecundum/rostratum in June whereas Erynia curvispora predominantly parasitized Simulium decorum from the 2nd week of July to September and Erynia conica attacked the Simulium venustum complex, Simulium verecundum/rostratum, and the Simulium vittatum complex from May to September. The fungi did not infect the adult stage of Prosimulium species. Possible evidence of host specificity for Erynia conica is discussed.Key words: Entomophthorales, black fly, host specificity, Entomophaga, Erynia, Simulium.

Evaluation of the growth and sporulation of different entomopathogenic fungi in different liquid and solid media at varied concentrations

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (8) ◽  
pp. 5459
Author(s):  
Chandra Teja K. ◽  
Rahman S. J.
Keyword(s):  
Entomopathogenic Fungi ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Insect Pests ◽  
Culture Media ◽  
Virulent Strain ◽  
Carbon Sources ◽  
Nitrogen Sources ◽  
Maximum Growth ◽  
Nutritional Requirements ◽  
Virulent Strains

Entomopathogenic fungi like Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae and Lecanicillium lecanii are used in biological control of agricultural insect pests. Their specific mode of action makes them an effective alternative to the chemical Insecticides. Virulent strains of Entomopathogenic fungi are effectively formulated and used as bio-insecticides world-wide. Amenable and economical multiplication of a virulent strain in a large scale is important for them to be useful in the field. Culture media plays a major role in the large-scale multiplication of virulent strains of Entomopathogens. Different substrates and media components are being used for this purpose. Yet, each strain differs in its nutritional requirements for the maximum growth and hence it is necessary to standardize the right components and their optimum concentrations in the culture media for a given strain of Entomopathogen. In the current study, three different nitrogen sources and two different carbon sources were tried to standardize the mass multiplication media for seven test isolates of Entomopathogenic fungi. A study was also conducted to determine the ideal grain media for the optimum conidial yields of the test isolates. Yeast extract was found to be the best Nitrogen source for the isolates. The isolates tested, differed in their nutritional requirements and showed variation in the best nitrogen and carbon sources necessary for their growth. Variation was also found in the optimum concentration of both the ingredients for the growth and sporulation of the isolates. In the solid-state fermentation study, rice was found to be the best grain for the growth of most of the fungi followed by barley. The significance of such a study in the development of an effective Myco-insecticide is vital and can be successfully employed in agriculture is discussed.

scholarly journals The Role of Fungi in the Cocoa Production Chain and the Challenge of Climate Change

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 202
Author(s):  
Johannes Delgado-Ospina ◽  
Junior Bernardo Molina-Hernández ◽  
Clemencia Chaves-López ◽  
Gianfranco Romanazzi ◽  
Antonello Paparella
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Fungal Infections ◽  
Close Association ◽  
Pathogenic Fungi ◽  
Fungal Species ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Plant Diseases ◽  
Production Chain ◽  
Cocoa Production

Background: The role of fungi in cocoa crops is mainly associated with plant diseases and contamination of harvest with unwanted metabolites such as mycotoxins that can reach the final consumer. However, in recent years there has been interest in discovering other existing interactions in the environment that may be beneficial, such as antagonism, commensalism, and the production of specific enzymes, among others. Scope and approach: This review summarizes the different fungi species involved in cocoa production and the cocoa supply chain. In particular, it examines the presence of fungal species during cultivation, harvest, fermentation, drying, and storage, emphasizing the factors that possibly influence their prevalence in the different stages of production and the health risks associated with the production of mycotoxins in the light of recent literature. Key findings and conclusion: Fungi associated with the cocoa production chain have many different roles. They have evolved in a varied range of ecosystems in close association with plants and various habitats, affecting nearly all the cocoa chain steps. Reports of the isolation of 60 genera of fungi were found, of which only 19 were involved in several stages. Although endophytic fungi can help control some diseases caused by pathogenic fungi, climate change, with increased rain and temperatures, together with intensified exchanges, can favour most of these fungal infections, and the presence of highly aggressive new fungal genotypes increasing the concern of mycotoxin production. For this reason, mitigation strategies need to be determined to prevent the spread of disease-causing fungi and preserve beneficial ones.

scholarly journals Improving Contagion and Horizontal Transmission of Entomopathogenic Fungi by the White-Spotted Longicorn Beetle, Anoplophora malasiaca, with Help of Contact Sex Pheromone

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 383
Author(s):  
Nao Fujiwara-Tsujii ◽  
Hiroe Yasui
Keyword(s):  
Sex Pheromone ◽  
Entomopathogenic Fungi ◽  
Horizontal Transmission ◽  
Pathogenic Fungi ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Contact Sex Pheromone ◽  
Beauveria Brongniartii ◽  
Contact Pheromone ◽  
Horticultural Crops ◽  
Longicorn Beetle

The white-spotted longicorn beetle, Anoplophora malasiaca, is one of the most destructive pests of horticultural crops and street trees. Effective controls are needed because the effect of marketed insecticides is limited. Entomopathogenic fungi offer a solution, and improving the rate of infection would be a breakthrough in this beetle’s control. The combination of pathogenic fungi and the beetle’s contact sex pheromone was suggested. The surface of the female body is covered with contact sex pheromone, which elicit male mating behavior. To develop a method for the practical control of this beetle, we evaluated the arrestant activity of female extract containing contact pheromone coated on a black glass model. Males presented with a coated model held on for 5 h (mean) during an 8-h experiment. In contrast, males presented with a control model held on for <0.3 h. Males that held onto coated models attached to fabric impregnated with conidia of the fungus Beauveria brongniartii picked up much conidia, which they then passed on to females during mating.

scholarly journals Mitotic Recombination and Adaptive Genomic Changes in Human Pathogenic Fungi

Genes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 901 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asiya Gusa ◽  
Sue Jinks-Robertson
Keyword(s):  
Fungal Pathogens ◽  
Repetitive Sequences ◽  
Pathogenic Fungi ◽  
Genetic Alterations ◽  
Fungal Species ◽  
Chronic Infections ◽  
Yeast Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Genomic Changes ◽  
Break Site ◽  
Repair Mechanisms

Genome rearrangements and ploidy alterations are important for adaptive change in the pathogenic fungal species Candida and Cryptococcus, which propagate primarily through clonal, asexual reproduction. These changes can occur during mitotic growth and lead to enhanced virulence, drug resistance, and persistence in chronic infections. Examples of microevolution during the course of infection were described in both human infections and mouse models. Recent discoveries defining the role of sexual, parasexual, and unisexual cycles in the evolution of these pathogenic fungi further expanded our understanding of the diversity found in and between species. During mitotic growth, damage to DNA in the form of double-strand breaks (DSBs) is repaired, and genome integrity is restored by the homologous recombination and non-homologous end-joining pathways. In addition to faithful repair, these pathways can introduce minor sequence alterations at the break site or lead to more extensive genetic alterations that include loss of heterozygosity, inversions, duplications, deletions, and translocations. In particular, the prevalence of repetitive sequences in fungal genomes provides opportunities for structural rearrangements to be generated by non-allelic (ectopic) recombination. In this review, we describe DSB repair mechanisms and the types of resulting genome alterations that were documented in the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The relevance of similar recombination events to stress- and drug-related adaptations and in generating species diversity are discussed for the human fungal pathogens Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans.

scholarly journals Double Gamers—Can Modified Natural Regulators of Higher Plants Act as Antagonists against Phytopathogens? The Case of Jasmonic Acid Derivatives

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (22) ◽  
pp. 8681
Author(s):  
Nicolò Orsoni ◽  
Francesca Degola ◽  
Luca Nerva ◽  
Franco Bisceglie ◽  
Giorgio Spadola ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Jasmonic Acid ◽  
Plant Pathogens ◽  
Higher Plants ◽  
Fungal Growth ◽  
Pathogenic Fungi ◽  
Inhibitory Effect ◽  
Fungal Species ◽  
Phytopathogenic Fungi ◽  
Phaeomoniella Chlamydospora ◽  
Horticultural Crops

As key players in biotic stress response of plants, jasmonic acid (JA) and its derivatives cover a specific and prominent role in pathogens-mediated signaling and hence are promising candidates for a sustainable management of phytopathogenic fungi. Recently, JA directed antimicrobial effects on plant pathogens has been suggested, supporting the theory of oxylipins as double gamers in plant-pathogen interaction. Based on these premises, six derivatives (dihydrojasmone and cis-jasmone, two thiosemicarbazonic derivatives and their corresponding complexes with copper) have been evaluated against 13 fungal species affecting various economically important herbaceous and woody crops, such as cereals, grapes and horticultural crops: Phaeoacremonium minimum, Neofusicoccum parvum, Phaeomoniella chlamydospora, Fomitiporia mediterranea, Fusarium poae, F. culmorum, F. graminearum, F. oxysporum f. sp. lactucae,F. sporotrichioides, Aspergillus flavus, Rhizoctonia solani,Sclerotinia spp. and Verticillium dahliae. The biological activity of these compounds was assessed in terms of growth inhibition and, for the two mycotoxigenic species A. flavus and F. sporotrichioides, also in terms of toxin containment. As expected, the inhibitory effect of molecules greatly varied amongst both genera and species; cis-jasmone thiosemicarbazone in particular has shown the wider range of effectiveness. However, our results show that thiosemicarbazones derivatives are more effective than the parent ketones in limiting fungal growth and mycotoxins production, supporting possible applications for the control of pathogenic fungi.

scholarly journals Culture media selection for mass production of Isaria fumosorosea and Isaria farinosa

2010 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 753-761 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel Moura Mascarin ◽  
Sérgio Batista Alves ◽  
Rogério Biaggioni Lopes
Keyword(s):  
Mass Production ◽  
Culture Media ◽  
Fungal Species ◽  
Complete Medium ◽  
Sugarcane Molasses ◽  
Liquid Media ◽  
Isaria Fumosorosea ◽  
Isaria Farinosa ◽  
Selection For ◽  
Biphasic Fermentation

This work investigated the production of the fungi Isaria fumosorosea and Isaria farinosa in biphasic fermentation using agro-industrial products and residues. Combinations of natural liquid substrates, alternative to the complete medium and potato dextrose medium, were evaluated. The best liquid media were sugarcane molasses + rice broth, rice broth + yeast and sugarcane molasses + yeast + rice broth, which resulted in the highest viable propagule concentration. The molasses + rice broth medium was selected for the next phase of the study in which the production of both fungal isolates was evaluated in solid grain substrates. In solid-state fermentation, the best conidia production was achieved with the soybean meal and broken corn for I. farinosa, and whole rice and broken rice for I. fumosorosea. Results demonstrated that the two fungal species could be rapidly produced with higher yield of conidia on agro-industrial resources by using biphasic fermentation techniques.

scholarly journals New Bis-Alkenoic Acid Derivatives from a Marine-Derived Fungus Fusarium solani H915

Marine Drugs ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. 483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shun-Zhi Liu ◽  
Xia Yan ◽  
Xi-Xiang Tang ◽  
Jin-Guo Lin ◽  
Ying-Kun Qiu
Keyword(s):  
Fusarium Solani ◽  
Zebrafish Embryo ◽  
Pathogenic Fungi ◽  
Fungal Species ◽  
Ionization Mass ◽  
Alkenoic Acid ◽  
Low Concentrations ◽  
Significant Toxicity ◽  
New Compounds ◽  
Acid Esters

Fusarium solani H915 is a fungus derived from mangrove sediments. From its ethyl acetate extract, a new alkenoic acid, fusaridioic acid A (1), three new bis-alkenoic acid esters, namely, fusariumester A1 (2), A2 (3) and B (4), together with three known compounds (5–7), were isolated. The structures of the new compounds were comprehensively characterized by high resolution electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (HR-ESI-MS), 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Additionally, the antifungal activities against tea pathogenic fungi Pestalotiopsis theae and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides were studied. The new compound, 4, containing a β-lactone ring, exhibited moderate inhibitory activity against P. theae, with an MIC of 50 μg/disc. Hymeglusin (6), a typical β-lactone antibiotic and a terpenoid alkaloid, equisetin (7), exhibited potent inhibitory activities against both fungal species. The isolated compounds were evaluated for their effects on zebrafish embryo development. Equisetin clearly imparted toxic effect on zebrafish even at low concentrations. However, none of the alkenoic acid derivatives exhibited significant toxicity to zebrafish eggs, embryos, or larvae. Thus, the β-lactone containing alkenoic acid derivatives from F. solani H915 are low in toxicity and are potent antifungal agents against tea pathogenic fungi.

scholarly journals Discovery of Novel Entomopathogenic Fungi for Mosquito-Borne Disease Control

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anastasia Accoti ◽  
Cecilia Springer Engdahl ◽  
George Dimopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Entomopathogenic Fungi ◽  
Mosquito Control ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Pathogenic Fungi ◽  
Suitable Alternative ◽  
Control Programs ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Outdoor Environments ◽  
Environmentally Safe ◽  
Emergence Of Resistance

The increased application of chemical control programs has led to the emergence and spread of insecticide resistance in mosquitoes. Novel environmentally safe control strategies are currently needed for the control of disease vectors. The use of entomopathogenic fungi could be a suitable alternative to chemical insecticides. Currently, Beauveria spp. and Metarhizium spp. are the most widely used entomopathogenic fungi for mosquito control, but increasing the arsenal with additional fungi is necessary to mitigate the emergence of resistance. Entomopathogenic fungi are distributed in a wide range of habitats. We have performed a comprehensive screen for candidate mosquitocidal fungi from diverse outdoor environments in Maryland and Puerto Rico. An initial screening of 22 fungi involving exposure of adult Anopheles gambiae to 2-weeks-old fungal cultures identified five potent pathogenic fungi, one of which is unidentified and the remaining four belonging to the three genera Galactomyces sp., Isaria sp. and Mucor sp. These fungi were then screened against Aedes aegypti, revealing Isaria sp. as a potent mosquito killer. The entomopathogenic effects were confirmed through spore-dipping assays. We also probed further into the killing mechanisms of these fungi and investigated whether the mosquitocidal activities were the result of potential toxic fungus-produced metabolites. Preliminary assays involving the exposure of mosquitoes to sterile filtered fungal liquid cultures showed that Galactomyces sp., Isaria sp. and the unidentified isolate 1 were the strongest producers of factors showing lethality against An. gambiae. We have identified five fungi that was pathogenic for An. gambiae and one for Ae. aegypti, among these fungi, four of them (two strains of Galactomyces sp., Mucor sp., and the unidentified isolate 1) have never previously been described as lethal to insects. Further characterization of these entomopathogenic fungi and their metabolites needs to be done to confirm their potential use in biologic control against mosquitoes.

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