410900

Ultrastructural and effectiveness of the fungus Metarhizium anisopliae for controlling the cattle tick Rhipicephalus annulatus (Acari: Ixodidae)

Article

Last updated: 15 Feb 2025

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Tags

Veterinary Sciences

Abstract

The work aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the fungus Metarhizium anisopliae as a biological agent for controlling the Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus cattle ticks under laboratory conditions. This research could provide an alternative biological method to the chemical acaricides. R. annulatus ticks are a significant menace to the economic stability of the Egyptian cattle industry. M. anisopliae is a commercially available entomopathogenic fungus (EPF) that infects various insects. This research investigated the biological parameters, morphology, and ultrastructure of R. annulatus engorged female ticks treated with fungus using spraying and dipping applications (106 spores/ml). On the fifth day of treatment, morphological abnormalities in Metarhizium anisopliae-treated ticks were noticed, characterized by wrinkled, white patches, and darker cuticles. Furthermore, the treated ticks' eggs had a gloomy, lifeless appearance.  By the tenth day of treatment, the mortality rate had reached 100% in the ticks in both applications. Compared to the control group, the treated R. annulatus engorged ticks revealed a significant reduction in egg mass, egg counts, and hatchability. The reproductive index was notably lower in the treated groups, with results at 0.324, and 0.320 in the dipping and spraying groups, respectively, compared to the control group of 0.815. Moreover, the dipping group exhibited 60.2% inhibition in oviposition, while the sprayed group showed a 60.7% reduction. The analysis of M. anisopliae infection using a transmission electron microscope revealed fungal penetration through the three cuticle layers. There were some outgrowing hyphae, and the treated cuticle was severely and violently damaged. The present findings suggest that M. anisopliae can infect and penetrate the cuticle of R. annulatus soon after treatment, making it a viable choice for biological tick control.

DOI

10.21608/bbj.2025.325405.1063

Keywords

biological control, cuticle, Metarhizium anisopliae, Rhipicephalus annulatus, TEM, Ultrastructure

Authors

First Name

Nabawia

Last Name

Elhadidy

MiddleName

M.

Affiliation

Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Arish University, Egypt.

Email

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City

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Orcid

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First Name

Eman

Last Name

Elkelesh

MiddleName

A.

Affiliation

Parasitology Department, Animal Health Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Egypt.

Email

emanelkelesh@gmail.com

City

-

Orcid

-

First Name

Basma

Last Name

Amin

MiddleName

H.

Affiliation

The Regional Center for Mycology and Biosociology (RCMB), Al-Azhar University, Egypt.

Email

-

City

-

Orcid

-

First Name

Aliaa

Last Name

Balegh

MiddleName

A.

Affiliation

Parasitology Department, Animal Health Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Egypt.

Email

-

City

-

Orcid

-

Volume

3

Article Issue

1

Related Issue

51791

Issue Date

2025-01-01

Receive Date

2025-02-09

Publish Date

2025-01-01

Page Start

190

Page End

200

Print ISSN

2974-4334

Online ISSN

2974-4342

Link

https://bbj.journals.ekb.eg/article_410900.html

Detail API

http://journals.ekb.eg?_action=service&article_code=410900

Order

410,900

Type

Original Article

Type Code

2,844

Publication Type

Journal

Publication Title

Biological and Biomedical Journal

Publication Link

https://bbj.journals.ekb.eg/

MainTitle

Ultrastructural and effectiveness of the fungus Metarhizium anisopliae for controlling the cattle tick Rhipicephalus annulatus (Acari: Ixodidae)

Details

Type

Article

Created At

15 Feb 2025