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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Ithaca, New York » Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture & Health » Emerging Pests and Pathogens Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #330294
Research Project: Management and Biology of Arthropod Pests and Arthropod-borne Plant Pathogens

Location: Emerging Pests and Pathogens Research

Title: Conidiobolus macrosporus (Entomophthorales), a mosquito pathogen in Central Brazil

Author
item MONTALVA, C. - Federal University Of Goias
item SILVA, J. - Federal University Of Goias
item BUCHTER, S. - Federal University Of Goias
item FERNANDES, E.K. - Federal University Of Goias
item LUZ, C. - Federal University Of Goias
item Humber, Richard

Submitted to: Journal of Invertebrate Pathology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/5/2016
Publication Date: 8/6/2016
Citation: Montalva, C., Silva, J.J., Buchter, S., Fernandes, E.K., Luz, C., Humber, R.A. 2016. Conidiobolus macrosporus (Entomophthorales), a mosquito pathogen in Central Brazil. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology. 139:102-108.

Interpretive Summary: During surveys for fungal pathogens of mosquitoes as part of a major Science Without Borders project in Brazil, we found a potentially significant fungus on an adult mosquito collected in a light trap at the western border of the Brazilian state of Goiâs. This fungus was isolated in pure culture, identified to the best of current taxonomic limits as Conidiobolus macrosporus, was preserved cryogenically, and was shown in laboratory tests to cause up to 100% mortality for adults of Aedes aegypti, the major mosquito transmitter of yellow fever, dengue and several other severe human diseases. The discovery of this particular fungus is the first of this species from Brazil, and the first report globally of this fungus as a pathogen affecting mosquitoes. This fungus will be submitted to genomic analyses and will be among the first species of its genus for which such information will become available, and further tests of its pathogenicity for other important mosquito transmitters of major diseases than Aedes aegypti, could show that it may become clear that this fungus could be a significant–and comparatively easily produced–fungus with appreciable activity against adult mosquitoes throughout both tropical and temperate zone sites where mosquitoes are serious pests and vectors of disease.

Technical Abstract: A new fungal pathogen of Culicinae (Diptera: Culicidae) adults, Conidiobolus macrosporus (Ancylistaceae), was detected and isolated during a survey of mosquito pathogens close to the city of Aruanã, Goiás State of Brazil, in December 2014. The morphological characteristics of C. macrosporus are presented, and reasons for some uncertainty about this identification are discussed. The pathogenicity for Aedes aegypti was confirmed in laboratory conditions. Mortality of adults exposed to a sporulating culture was usually around 40% by 24 hours of exposure to the pathogen, and increased to 100% after 8 days.