Title of Dissertation: USING THE FUNGUS METARHIZIUM ANISOPLIAE AS A MODEL SYSTEM TO STUDY THE ROLE OF GENE DUPLICATION, DIVERGENCE AND EXPRESSION IN ADAPTING TO PATHOGENICITY. Gang Hu , Doctor of Philosophy 2005 Directed By: Professor Raymond J. St. Leger Department of Entomology Fungal pathogens have been recorded for virtually all groups of multicellular organisms. They are the major cause of...

BACKGROUND Filamentous fungi are the most widely used eukaryotic biocatalysts in industrial and chemical applications. Consequently, there is tremendous interest in methodology that can use the power of genetics to develop strains with improved performance. For example, Metarhizium anisopliae is a broad host range entomopathogenic fungus currently under intensive investigation as a biologically...

Metarhizium anisopliae, a fungal pathogen of terrestrial arthropods, kills the aquatic larvae of Aedes aegypti, the vector of dengue and yellow fever. The fungus kills without adhering to the host cuticle. Ingested conidia also fail to germinate and are expelled in fecal pellets. This study investigates the mechanism by which this fungus adapted to terrestrial hosts kills aquatic mosquito larva...

Compatibility of the entomopathogenic fungus, Metarhizium anisopliae with representative pesticides, plant oils and a fungal antagonist were studied in vitro. The pesticides tested were: endosulfan, acephate, abamectin, ethion, chlorothalonil, iprodion + carbendazim, thiophanate methyl and dinocap, an antagonist, Trichoderma harzianum and the plant oils: coconut oil, groundnut oil, gingili oil,...

Entomopathogenic fungi were collected from soil in four adjacent habitats (oak forest, agricultural soil, pine reforestation and chaparral habitat) in Saltillo, México using the insect bait method with Tenebrio molitor (L.) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) larvae as bait. Overall, of the larvae exposed to soil, 171 (20%) hosted Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin (Hypocreales: Cordycipitaceae), 2...

The present study was carried out to establish the properties of Acalypha alnifolia leaf extract and microbial insecticide, Metarizhium anisopliae on larvicidal and pupicidal activity against the lymphatic filarial vector, Culex quinquefasciatus. The methanol extract of A. alnifolia leaf showed larvicidal and pupicidal effects after 24 h of exposure; with, the highest larval and pupal mortality...

Mosquito fungal pathogens, Metarhizium anisopliae and Tolypocladium cylindrosporum, were compared with regard to virulence against the larvae of Aedes aegypti, Anopheles stephensi and Culex pipiens. Culex pipiens larvae were much more susceptible to M. anisopliae conidia than An. stephensi or Ae. aegypti. But Ae. aegypti and Cx. pipiens larvae were equally susceptible to T. cylindrosporum propa...

The beet armyworm Spodoptera exigua (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is difficult to control using chemical insecticides because of the development of insecticide resistance. Several pest control agents are used to control the beet armyworm. Entomopathogenic fungi are one of the candidates for eco-friendly pest control instead of chemical control agents. In this study, among various entomopathogenic fu...

The efficacy of a new virulent Metarhizium anisopliae strain (SRRC 2558) obtained from Coptotermes formosanus in China was evaluated against the eastern subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes and the Formosan subterranean termite, C. formosanus, in the laboratory. This new strain was compared with three other virulent M. anisopliae strains and was found to be highly infectious against te...

The cerambycid beetle Hedypathes betulinus (Klug) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) causes severe damage to yerba mate plants (Ilex paraguariensis (St. Hilaire) (Aquifoliales: Aquifoliaceae)), which results in large losses of production. In this study, the pathogenicity of entomopathogenic fungi of the species Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo-Crivelli) Vuillemin (Hypocreales: Cordycipitaceae), Metarhizium ...