The role of fungi in the control of grasshoppers

1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (S1) ◽  
pp. 71-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark S. Goettel ◽  
Dan L. Johnson ◽  
G. Douglas Inglis
Keyword(s):  
Beauveria Bassiana ◽  
Microbial Control ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Microbial Pathogens ◽  
Biological Control Agents ◽  
Grasshopper Species ◽  
Classical Biocontrol ◽  
Insect Pathogens ◽  
Oil Emulsions

Fungi are among the most important microbial pathogens of grasshoppers with potential for development as biological control agents. Unlike most other insect pathogens that must be ingested to initiate disease, fungi generally invade insects via the external cuticle. The most common fungi that are pathogenic to grasshoppers are Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae, Metarhizium flavoviride, Sorosporella sp., and fungi in the Entomophaga grylli complex. A review of the latest information on the development of these fungi as microbial control agents of grasshoppers is presented. Species in the E. grylli complex are being used in classical biocontrol. This has resulted in controversy as there are indigenous nonpest grasshopper species that may be affected through introduction of the nonindigenous fungal strains. Beauveria bassiana and M. flavoviride are being developed for inundative control. These fungi can be mass produced and applied with equipment used for conventional pesticides. Conidia are applied either at ultralow volume in oil, as oil emulsions, or as bran-bait formulations. Field trials in Africa and North America have demonstrated significant grasshopper reductions. Improvements in formulation and inoculum targeting may further improve their efficacy. Key words: grasshoppers, locusts, microbial control, Beauveria bassiana, Entomophaga grylli, Metarhizium spp.

The Signaling Pathways in Nitric Oxide Production by Neutrophils Exposed to N-nitrosodimethylamine

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 194-199
Author(s):  
Wioletta Ratajczak-Wrona ◽  
Ewa Jablonska
Keyword(s):  
Nitric Oxide ◽  
Signaling Pathways ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Polymorphonuclear Neutrophils ◽  
Microbial Pathogens ◽  
Human Neutrophils ◽  
No Production ◽  
Oxide Synthase ◽  
Inducible Nitric Oxide

Background: Polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) play a crucial role in the innate immune system’s response to microbial pathogens through the release of reactive nitrogen species, including Nitric Oxide (NO). </P><P> Methods: In neutrophils, NO is produced by the inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase (iNOS), which is regulated by various signaling pathways and transcription factors. N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a potential human carcinogen, affects immune cells. NDMA plays a major part in the growing incidence of cancers. Thanks to the increasing knowledge on the toxicological role of NDMA, the environmental factors that condition the exposure to this compound, especially its precursors- nitrates arouse wide concern. Results: In this article, we present a detailed summary of the molecular mechanisms of NDMA’s effect on the iNOS-dependent NO production in human neutrophils. Conclusion: This research contributes to a more complete understanding of the mechanisms that explain the changes that occur during nonspecific cellular responses to NDMA toxicity.

scholarly journals Potential Role of Phospholipases in Virulence and Fungal Pathogenesis

2000 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 122-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahmoud A. Ghannoum
Keyword(s):  
Virulence Factor ◽  
Cell Damage ◽  
Pathogenic Fungi ◽  
Microbial Pathogens ◽  
Immunogold Electron Microscopy ◽  
Lytic Enzymes ◽  
Fungal Virulence ◽  
Phospholipase B ◽  
Genes Encoding

SUMMARY Microbial pathogens use a number of genetic strategies to invade the host and cause infection. These common themes are found throughout microbial systems. Secretion of enzymes, such as phospholipase, has been proposed as one of these themes that are used by bacteria, parasites, and pathogenic fungi. The role of extracellular phospholipase as a potential virulence factor in pathogenic fungi, including Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans, and Aspergillus, has gained credence recently. In this review, data implicating phospholipase as a virulence factor in C. albicans, Candida glabrata, C. neoformans, and A. fumigatus are presented. A detailed description of the molecular and biochemical approaches used to more definitively delineate the role of phospholipase in the virulence of C. albicans is also covered. These approaches resulted in cloning of three genes encoding candidal phospholipases (caPLP1, caPLB2, and PLD). By using targeted gene disruption, C. albicans null mutants that failed to secrete phospholipase B, encoded by caPLB1, were constructed. When these isogenic strain pairs were tested in two clinically relevant murine models of candidiasis, deletion of caPLB1 was shown to lead to attenuation of candidal virulence. Importantly, immunogold electron microscopy studies showed that C. albicans secretes this enzyme during the infectious process. These data indicate that phospholipase B is essential for candidal virulence. Although the mechanism(s) through which phospholipase modulates fungal virulence is still under investigations, early data suggest that direct host cell damage and lysis are the main mechanisms contributing to fungal virulence. Since the importance of phospholipases in fungal virulence is already known, the next challenge will be to utilize these lytic enzymes as therapeutic and diagnostic targets.

Role of Naphthenic Acids in Stabilizing Water-in-Diluted Model Oil Emulsions

2010 ◽  
Vol 114 (23) ◽  
pp. 7710-7718 ◽  
Author(s):  
Song Gao ◽  
Kevin Moran ◽  
Zhenghe Xu ◽  
Jacob Masliyah
Keyword(s):  
Naphthenic Acids ◽  
Oil Emulsions ◽  
Model Oil

scholarly journals The Role of Host-Generated H2S in Microbial Pathogenesis: New Perspectives on Tuberculosis

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md. Aejazur Rahman ◽  
Joel N. Glasgow ◽  
Sajid Nadeem ◽  
Vineel P. Reddy ◽  
Ritesh R. Sevalkar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nitric Oxide ◽  
Carbon Monoxide ◽  
Hydrogen Sulfide ◽  
Host Immunity ◽  
Microbial Pathogens ◽  
Microbial Pathogenesis ◽  
Enzymatic Production ◽  
Growth And Survival ◽  
Wide Range

For centuries, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) was considered primarily as a poisonous gas and environmental hazard. However, with the discovery of prokaryotic and eukaryotic enzymes for H2S production, breakdown, and utilization, H2S has emerged as an important signaling molecule in a wide range of physiological and pathological processes. Hence, H2S is considered a gasotransmitter along with nitric oxide (•NO) and carbon monoxide (CO). Surprisingly, despite having overlapping functions with •NO and CO, the role of host H2S in microbial pathogenesis is understudied and represents a gap in our knowledge. Given the numerous reports that followed the discovery of •NO and CO and their respective roles in microbial pathogenesis, we anticipate a rapid increase in studies that further define the importance of H2S in microbial pathogenesis, which may lead to new virulence paradigms. Therefore, this review provides an overview of sulfide chemistry, enzymatic production of H2S, and the importance of H2S in metabolism and immunity in response to microbial pathogens. We then describe our current understanding of the role of host-derived H2S in tuberculosis (TB) disease, including its influences on host immunity and bioenergetics, and on Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) growth and survival. Finally, this review discusses the utility of H2S-donor compounds, inhibitors of H2S-producing enzymes, and their potential clinical significance.

scholarly journals Mechanistically Compatible Mixtures of Bacterial Antagonists Improve Biological Control of Fire Blight of Pear

2011 ◽  
Vol 101 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. O. Stockwell ◽  
K. B. Johnson ◽  
D. Sugar ◽  
J. E. Loper
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Plant Disease ◽  
Fire Blight ◽  
Biological Control Agent ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Control Agent ◽  
Extracellular Protease ◽  
Peptide Antibiotics ◽  
Biological Control Agents ◽  
Control Activity

Mixtures of biological control agents can be superior to individual agents in suppressing plant disease, providing enhanced efficacy and reliability from field to field relative to single biocontrol strains. Nonetheless, the efficacy of combinations of Pseudomonas fluorescens A506, a commercial biological control agent for fire blight of pear, and Pantoea vagans strain C9-1 or Pantoea agglomerans strain Eh252 rarely exceeds that of individual strains. A506 suppresses growth of the pathogen on floral colonization and infection sites through preemptive exclusion. C9-1 and Eh252 produce peptide antibiotics that contribute to disease control. In culture, A506 produces an extracellular protease that degrades the peptide antibiotics of C9-1 and Eh252. We hypothesized that strain A506 diminishes the biological control activity of C9-1 and Eh252, thereby reducing the efficacy of biocontrol mixtures. This hypothesis was tested in five replicated field trials comparing biological control of fire blight using strain A506 and A506 aprX::Tn5, an extracellular protease-deficient mutant, as individuals and combined with C9-1 or Eh252. On average, mixtures containing A506 aprX::Tn5 were superior to those containing the wild-type strain, confirming that the extracellular protease of A506 diminished the biological control activity of C9-1 and Eh252 in situ. Mixtures of A506 aprX::Tn5 and C9-1 or Eh252 were superior to oxytetracycline or single biocontrol strains in suppressing fire blight of pear. These experiments demonstrate that certain biological control agents are mechanistically incompatible, in that one strain interferes with the mechanism by which a second strain suppresses plant disease. Mixtures composed of mechanistically compatible strains of biological control agents can suppress disease more effectively than individual biological control agents.

Diapause initiation and incidence in the millet stem borer, Coniesta ignefusalis (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae): the role of the host plant

2000 ◽  
Vol 90 (4) ◽  
pp. 365-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.B. Tanzubil ◽  
G.W.K. Mensah ◽  
A.R. McCaffery
Keyword(s):  
Host Plant ◽  
Pennisetum Glaucum ◽  
Stem Borer ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Northern Ghana ◽  
Research Station ◽  
Coniesta Ignefusalis ◽  
Larval Diapause ◽  
Diapause Incidence

The role of the host plant in the development of larval diapause in the millet stem borer, Coniesta ignefusalis (Hampson) was investigated in northern Ghana in 1996 and 1997. Surveys conducted in farmers' fields in the Guinea and Sudan savannah revealed that of all the upland cereals grown, the insect survived the dry season only in stalks and stubble of pearl millet, Pennisetum glaucum and late sorghum, Sorghum bicolor. This observation was confirmed by results from field trials conducted at the Manga Research Station. In these studies, C. ignefusalis larvae entered diapause only in late millet and late sorghum, with a higher incidence in the former. The insect neither attacked nor entered diapause in maize planted during the same period as the other crops. Results from controlled experiments showed that diapause incidence in the preferred host, millet, was higher in older than in younger plants, suggesting that host plant maturation is a key factor influencing the development of larval diapause in C. ignefusalis.

scholarly journals Compatibility between the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana and insecticides used in coffee plantations

2003 ◽  
Vol 60 (4) ◽  
pp. 663-667 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolina Natali de Oliveira ◽  
Pedro Manuel Oliveira Janeiro Neves ◽  
Lídio Sueki Kawazoe
Keyword(s):  
Beauveria Bassiana ◽  
Vegetative Growth ◽  
Entomopathogenic Fungus ◽  
Microbial Control ◽  
Infection Process ◽  
Conservation Strategy ◽  
Coffee Plantations ◽  
Conidia Germination ◽  
Fungus Beauveria Bassiana

Microbial control in integrated pest management (IPM) programs of coffee plantations is an important factor for the reduction of pest population densities. The use of selective pesticides can be associated with entomopathogens, increasing the efficiency of the control and reducing the use of required insecticides. The in vitro fungitoxic effect of insecticide formulations of Thiamethoxam, Cyfluthrin, Deltamethrin, Alpha-Cypermethrin, Triazophos, Chlorpyrifos, Fenpropathrin and Endosulfan and Beauveria bassiana (CG 425 strain) was evaluated at three concentrations (FR = average field recommendation; 0.5 ´ FR and 2 ´ FR). Effects of these products on conidia germination, vegetative growth and sporulation were compared. Only five insecticides, at the FR concentration, promoted conidia viability higher than 60%. Viability should be considered the most important factor to be evaluated since it is the first step of the infection process. The insecticide formulations of Alpha-Cypermethrin, Thiamethoxam and Cyfluthrin caused the lower inhibition level on conidia germination at the two lower concentrations, with no difference in relation to the control. With respect to vegetative growth analysis, Thiamethoxam at the two lower concentrations was not found to cause radial growth inhibition. Thiamethoxam caused the smallest inhibition level with regard to conidia production. The use of Alpha-Cypermethrin and Thiamethoxam formulations in coffee IPM programs for a B. bassiana inoculum conservation strategy are recommended, since these products were compatible with the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana (CG 425), an important natural control agent of the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei.

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