| Autor: |
Correa TA; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Veterinárias, Instituto de Veterinária, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro., Santos FS; Laboratório de Taxonomia Bioquímica e Bioprospecção de Fungos/Coleção de Cultura de Fungos Filamentosos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ)., Camargo MG; Departamento de Parasitologia Animal, Instituto de Veterinária, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro., Quinelato S; Laboratório de Taxonomia Bioquímica e Bioprospecção de Fungos/Coleção de Cultura de Fungos Filamentosos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ)., Bittencourt VREP; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Veterinárias, Instituto de Veterinária, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro; Departamento de Parasitologia Animal, Instituto de Veterinária, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro., Golo PS; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Veterinárias, Instituto de Veterinária, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro; Departamento de Parasitologia Animal, Instituto de Veterinária, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro; patriciagolo@ufrrj.br. |
| Abstrakt: |
The goal of the present study is to compare the effectiveness of using insect baits versus artificial selective medium for isolating entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) from soil samples. The soil is a rich habitat for microorganisms, including EPF particularly belonging to the genera Metarhizium and Beauveria, which can regulate arthropod pests. Biological products based on fungi are available in the market mainly for agricultural arthropod pest control. Nevertheless, despite the high endemic biodiversity, only a few strains are used in commercial bioproducts worldwide. In the present study, 524 soil samples were cultured on potato dextrose agar enriched with yeast extract supplemented with chloramphenicol, thiabendazole, and cycloheximide (CTC medium). The growth of fungal colonies was observed for 3 weeks. All Metarhizium and Beauveria EPF were morphologically identified at the genus level. Additionally, some isolates were molecularly identified at the species level. Twenty-four out of these 524 soil samples were also surveyed for EPF occurrence using the insect bait method (Galleria mellonella and Tenebrio molitor). A total of 51 EPF strains were isolated (41 Metarhizium spp. and 10 Beauveria spp.) from the 524 soil samples. All fungal strains were isolated either from croplands or grasslands. Of the 24 samples selected for comparison, 91.7% were positive for EPF using Galleria bait, 62.5% using Tenebrio bait, and 41.7% using CTC. Our results suggested that using insect baits to isolate the EPF from the soil is more efficient than using the CTC medium. The comparison of isolation methods in addition to the identification and conservation of EPF has a positive impact on the knowledge about biodiversity. The improvement of EPF collection supports scientific development and technological innovation. |
