Abstract
Entomopathogenic fungi of the genus Beauveria and Metarhizium play an important role in controlling the population of arthropods. However, the data on their effectiveness against ticks focus mainly on species that do not occur in Europe. The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of entomopathogenic fungi against two of the most important tick species in Europe: Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor reticulatus. In our study, the majority of tested entomopathogenic fungi strains showed potential efficacy against both tick species; however, D. reticulatus was less susceptible in comparison to I. ricinus. The observed mortality of ticks was up to 100% by using all commercial strains as well as three out of nine of the environmental strains. Among all tested fungi, the most effective against both tick species was environmental strain Metarhizium anisopliae LO4(1) with LC50 values: 2.6 × 103 cfu/ml–5.7 × 105 cfu/ml. Botanigard proved to be more effective than MET52 with LC50 values: 6.8 × 103 cfu/ml–3.3 × 106 cfu/ml. The conducted bioassays indicate the potential possibility of using the environmental isolates of entomopathogenic fungi, as well as commercial strains in control of local populations of I. ricinus and D. reticulatus; however, the possibility of using them in vivo requires more research.
Highlights
Ticks are one of the most important parasites due to transmission of pathogens of tick-borne diseases (TBD)
Entomopathogenic fungi isolated from these tick species were identified as Beauveria bassiana, Beauveria tenella, Lecanicillium lecanii, Isaria fumosorosea, Isaria farinosa, Verticillium aranearum, Beauveria
We found D. reticulatus to be less susceptible to entomopathogenic fungi than I. ricinus
Summary
Ticks are one of the most important parasites due to transmission of pathogens of tick-borne diseases (TBD). Among the natural factors limiting the populations of arthropods, there are microorganisms, including entomopathogenic fungi. The study on the efficiency of fungi against ticks was focused mainly on the genus Rhipicephalus and additional taxa including Ixodes scapularis, Dermacentor variabilis, and Amblyomma variegatum (Onofre et al 2001; Kirkland et al 2004; Tuininga et al 2009; Hedimbi et al 2011). The data on the potential use of the entomopathogenic fungi against Ixodes ricinus, the tick of the greatest medical and veterinary importance in Europe, are limited and cover mainly the study on larvae and nymphs of this species and engorged adults (Hartelt et al 2008; Alekseev 2011; Wassermann et al 2016; PiraliKheirabadi et al 2016). There is no published data involving the possibility of using entomopathogenic fungi against Dermacentor reticulatus, an important vector of Babesia canis. Entomopathogenic fungi isolated from these tick species were identified as Beauveria bassiana, Beauveria tenella, Lecanicillium lecanii, Isaria fumosorosea, Isaria farinosa, Verticillium aranearum, Beauveria
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