title: Efficacy of female Culex quinquefasciatus with entomopathogenic fungus Fusarium pallidoroseum.
abstract: This study was conducted to isolate and identify natural entomopathogenic fungi from female Culex quinquefasciatus and to test their adulticidal activity. Field-collected female C. quinquefasciatus died early and were placed on a Saboraud's dextrose agar plates for growth and isolation of natural entomopathogenic fungi. The plates were maintained in an incubator at 24+/-2 degrees C for 3 days. Four fungal species were isolated in two genera namely, Aspergillus and Fusarium. The identified fungal species were A. niger, A. flavus, A. nidulans var acristatus (ITCC-6327.04), and F. pallidoroseum (ITCC-6324.06). Adult bioassays were carried out using spore-impregnated paper in WHO-holding tubes. F. pallidoroseum was found to be more effective than the others. Exposure of C. quinquefasciatus to spores of A. flavus and A. niger for 4 h caused 5.53% and 5.51% mortality in the mosquitoes within a week, respectively. All the female C. quinquefasciatus were killed within 4 days of exposure to F. pallidoroseum at a concentration of 1.11 x 10(10) conidia per m2. Significant difference of longevity was observed between the F. pallidoroseum-treated C. quinquefasciatus and control mosquitoes. The LT50 of F. pallidoroseum was 2.08 days for 4 h exposure to C. quinquefasciatus. Results of the present study confirm that F. pallidoroseum is one of the alternative biological control agents of adult mosquitoes.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Malaria Research, Indian Council of Medical Research, 22-Sham Nath Marg, Delhi 110054, India. ssnimr@gmail.com
authors.forename: Suman Sundar
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Mohanty
authors.forename: Kamaraju
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Raghavendra
authors.forename: Usha
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Rai
authors.forename: Aditya Prasad
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Dash
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003465:Culex / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D005670:Fusarium / Q000502:physiology*; D009032:Mosquito Control / Q000379:methods; D010572:Pest Control, Biological