Isolation and identification of microbiota from Egyptian common insect pests invading economically important crops

Abstract

Insects bodies contain multiple distinctive microbial colonies which play key role in the metabolism, development and health of an insect. In the current study bacterial and fungal microbiota were isolated from larval feces and adult wings of two major insect pests in Egypt, the Cotton leaf worm Spodoptera littoralis and the black cutworm Agrotis ipsilon. Isolated pathogens were identified and characterized according to the scientific described methods in such cases. Two different genera of bacteria (Bacillus & Serratia) were isolated from larval feces of both insects while isolated fungus were Paecilomyces variotii and Absidia corymbifera from the feces of A. ipsilon larvae, while Rhozopus stolonifer and Penicillium chrysogenum were isolated from adults wings of the same insect. The fungus Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger and Mucor circinilloides were isolated from feces of S. littoralis larvae. Numerous species of bacteria and fungi had been documented as a bio-agent against many insect pests, and most of them exhibited disruption in life-cycle of different species of Lepidopterous pests. The obtained data sheds light on microbial colonies associated with two major insect pests, however further studies are required to involve the isolated microbiota in the biological control programs of insect pests.