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Title: Effect of Metarhizium anisopliae (Ascomycete), Cypermethrin, and D-limonene, alone and combined, on larval mortality of Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Acari: Ixodidae)

Author
item PRADO-REBOLLEDO, OMAR - Universidad De Colima
item LEZAMA-GUTIERREZ, ROBERTO - Universidad De Colima
item MOLINA-OCHOA, JAIME - Universidad De Colima
item GARCIA-MARQUEZ, LUIS - Universidad De Colima
item MINCHACA-LLERENAS, YUREIDA - Universidad De Colima
item MORALES-BARRERA, EDUARDO - Universidad Nacional Autonoma De Mexico
item TELLEZ, GUILLERMO - University Of Arkansas
item HARGIS, BILLY - University Of Arkansas
item Skoda, Steven
item FOSTER, JOHN - University Of Nebraska

Submitted to: Journal of Medical Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/6/2017
Publication Date: 5/4/2017
Citation: Prado-Rebolledo, O.F., Lezama-Gutierrez, R., Molina-Ochoa, J., Garcia-Marquez, L.J., Minchaca-Llerenas, Y.B., Morales-Barrera, E., Tellez, G., Hargis, B., Skoda, S.R., Foster, J.E. 2017. Effect of Metarhizium anisopliae (Ascomycete), Cypermethrin, and D-limonene, alone and combined, on larval mortality of Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Acari: Ixodidae). Journal of Medical Entomology. 54(5):1323-1327.

Interpretive Summary: The brown dog tick is the most widespread tick in the world. It is more common in warmer climates, is found on dogs, is occasionally found on wildlife and can occasionally parasitize humans and other mammals. High levels of infestation of brown dog tick can cause skin irritation and damage in dogs, and the population can reach pest proportions in houses and kennels. Brown dog ticks also vector several agents of diseases in dogs. Control of ticks is currently based primarily on chemical treatment. The effect of the fungus Metarhizium anisopliae (Ma14 strain), D-limonene (citrus extract) and cypermethrin (insecticide), individually and in combination, were evaluated on the mortality of brown dog tick larvae. Inoculations of serial dilutions of the individual treatments (fungus, extract and insecticide) were evaluated; high concentrations of the Ma14 strain of fungus showed 100% mortality of the ticks. In combinations, the fungus with either the D-limonene or the cypermethrin showed 100% mortality of the ticks. These materials, alone and in combinations, may be quite useful in future tick management and control programs.

Technical Abstract: The effect of the fungus Metarhizium anisopliae Ma14 strain, D-limonene and cypermethrin, alone and combined, on the mortality of Rhipicephalus sanguineus larvae was evaluated. Eight groups with 25 tick larvae were inoculated with the fungus, eight groups were treated with cypermethrin, eight groups were treated with D-limonene, and four groups were used as untreated checks (checks were immersed into distilled water containing 0.1% of Tween 80). The groups were inoculated with serial dilutions of each treatment material: for example conidial concentrations were 1x101, 1x102, 1x103, 1x104, 1x105, 1x106, 1x107 and 1x108. The experimental design used was complete randomized design. Significant differences were obtained between fungal concentrations with larval mortalities ranging from 29 to 100 %; the D-limonene concentrations showed significant differences with mortalities that ranged from 47.9 to 82.6 %, and cypermethrin mortalities ranged from 69.9 to 89.9% when each was applied alone. In the combined application, the serial dilution of the Ma14 fungus plus cypermethrin at 0.1 % concentration caused mortalities ranging from 92.9 to 100 %; the mix of serially diluted Ma14 plus D-limonene at 0.1 % caused mortalities from 10.3 to 100 %; and the mix constituted by serially diluted D-limonene plus cypermethrin at 0.1 % caused mortalities from 7.4 to 35.9 %. In conclusion, the combination of the Ma14 fungus plus D-limonene or the Ma14 plus cypermethrin increased the tick larval mortality so that it often reached 100 %.