Title: | The use of a semiochemical bait to enhance exposure of Amblyomma variegatum (Acari: Ixodidae) to Metarhizium anisopliae (Ascomycota: Hypocreales) |
Author(s): | Nchu F; Maniania NK; Toure A; Hassanali A; Eloff JN; |
Address: | "International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, African Insect Sciences for Food and Health, Nairobi, Kenya" |
DOI: | 10.1016/j.vetpar.2008.11.005 |
ISSN/ISBN: | 0304-4017 (Print) 0304-4017 (Linking) |
Abstract: | "Experiments were conducted to explore the use of a semiochemical bait to enhance exposure of Amblyomma variegatum Fabricius (Acari: Ixodidae) to different formulations of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae (Metsch.) Sorok. (Ascomycota: Hypocreales). Initially, the relative efficacies of attraction-aggregation-attachment pheromone (AAAP), made up of o-nitrophenol, methyl salicylate and nonanoic acid in the ratio 2:1:8, 1-octen-3-ol and butyric acid, were evaluated in an olfactometer. Only AAAP and 1-octen-3-ol were found to elicit attractive responses to the tick. Simultaneous release of 1-octen-3-ol and AAAP together with CO(2) from a trap in semifield plots attracted up to 94.0+/-6% of adult ticks from a distance of 6m, and up to 24.0+/-5.1% from 8m. Formulations of M. anisopliae (dry powder, oil, and emulsifiable) applied within the trap baited with AAAP, 1-octen-3-ol and CO(2) resulted in high levels of contamination of the ticks attracted to the traps. However, 48h after autoinoculation, 89.1 and 33.3% of conidia were lost in dry powder and oil formulations, respectively. Emulsifiable formulation showed least loss of propagules (17.1%). Samples of ticks attracted to the baited traps were transferred to plastic basins containing grass and maintained for 5 weeks. The experiment was conducted in rainy and dry seasons. Emulsifiable formulation gave the highest relative tick reduction in both seasons: 54.7 and 46.5% in rainy and dry seasons, respectively, followed by oil formulation (32.0 and 23.8%) and powder formulation (38.0 and 24.4%)" |
Keywords: | "Animals Antibiosis Emulsions Female Hypocreales/*growth & development Ixodidae/*growth & development/*microbiology Male Pest Control, Biological/*methods Pheromones/*pharmacology Seasons Tick Control/*methods Tick Infestations/prevention & control/veterin;" |
Notes: | "MedlineNchu, F Maniania, N K Toure, A Hassanali, A Eloff, J N eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Netherlands 2008/12/19 Vet Parasitol. 2009 Mar 23; 160(3-4):279-84. doi: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2008.11.005. Epub 2008 Nov 13" |