The use of a semiochemical bait to enhance exposure of Amblyomma variegatum (Acari: Ixodidae) to Metarhizium anisopliae (Ascomycota: Hypocreales)
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Date
Authors
Nchu, Felix
Maniania, Nguya K.
Touré, A.
Hassanali, Ahmed
Eloff, Jacobus Nicolaas
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Elsevier
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 CO2 from a trap in semifield plots attracted up to 94.0 ± 6% of adult ticks from a distance of 6 m, and up to 24.0 ± 5.1% from 8 m. Formulations of M. anisopliae (dry powder, oil, and emulsifiable) applied within the trap baited with AAAP, 1-octen-3-ol and CO2 resulted in high levels of contamination of the ticks attracted to the traps. However, 48 h 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%).
Description
Keywords
Entomopathogenic fungi, Metarhizium anisopliae, Semiochemical-baited trap, Amblyomma variegatum, Autoinoculation
Sustainable Development Goals
Citation
Nchu, F, Maniania, NK, Touré, A, Hassanali, A & Eloff, JN 2009, 'The use of a semiochemical bait to enhance exposure of Amblyomma variegatum (Acari: Ixodidae) to Metarhizium anisopliae (Ascomycota: Hypocreales)', Veterinary Parasitology, vol. 160, no. 3-4, pp. 279-284. [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03044017]