title: Mortality rate of adult ticks due to infection by entomopathogenic nematodes.
abstract: The mortality of Boophilus annulatus, Hyalomma excavatum, Rhipicephalus bursa, and Rhipicephalus sanguineus adult ticks was recorded after their exposure in petri dishes to 5 entomopathogenic nematode strains. The strains used were DT and Mexican of Steinernema carpocapsae, Hb HP88 of Heterorhabditis bacteriophora, and IS-3 and IS-5 of Heterorhabditis sp. The most rapid killing rates (LT50 and LT90) were observed for B. annulatus ticks (0.8-5.0 days). Most unfed males died 0.3-2.8 days after the unfed females, whereas even more time (0.8-8.0 days) passed before engorged females died. In most bioassays, the IS-3 and IS-5 strains of Heterorhabditis sp. nematodes appear to be the most pathogenic for ticks and, in most cases, killed ticks several days before the other 3 nematode strains. Unfed adult ticks exposed to nematodes died within less time than it takes for adults to complete their prefeeding period after molting.
authors.affiliation: Kimron Veterinary Institute, Bet Dagan, Israel.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Samish
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Alekseev
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Glazer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001769:Blood; D004435:Eating / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009026:Mortality; D017168:Rhabditida / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D017172:Rhabditoidea / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D013987:Ticks / Q000254:growth & development / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014774:Virulence