Metarhizium anisopliae

Reported by:Crisanta B. MontejoIII- Gen. Sci. Student

Metarhizium anisopliae

• formerly known as Entomophthora anisopliae, is a widely distributed soil-inhabiting fungus.

• Elie Metchnikoff ( Russian biologist) who first experimentally tests it as microbial agent against insects in 1879

• categorized as a green muscardine fungus due to the green color of the sporulating colonies.

• has been reported to infect approximately 200 species of insects and arthropods

• is not infectious or toxic to mammals• Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium

anisopliae, for control of adult malaria mosquitoes

M. anisopliae

SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATIONKingdom:Fungi Division:Ascomycota Class:Sordariomycetes Order:Hypocreales Family:Clavicipitaceae Genus:Metarhizium Species:M. anisopliae

M. anisopliae

CHARACTERISTICS• the optimal temperature was 25 degrees C• uses a combination of enzymes and

mechanical force to penetrate the host cuticle

• has robust conidia that are easy to formulate and store

M. anisopliae

HABITAT• Metarhizium species are commonly thought

of as soil saprophytes and are most frequently found in disturbed habitats like agricultural fields as compared to forest ecosystems (Meyling and Eilenberg 2007).

• these fungi form associations with plant roots in the rhizosphere (Hu and St. Leger 2002)

M. anisopliae

LIFE CYCLE The life cycle of species within this genus will be restricted to their activity as arthropod pathogens.The development has 3 stages:

M. anisopliae

Mode of action• The spores of this fungus when come in

contact with the cuticle (skin) of susceptible insects, they germinate and grow directly through the cuticle

• proliferates throughout the insect’s body and draining the insect of nutrients, eventually killing it.

TOLERANCE• They found that all of these isolates shared

similar conidial morphology but some showed the ability to germinate at colder temperatures (i.e. 5 C

M. anisopliae

Commercial Availability• Faria and Wraight (2007) determined that

there were 47 different commercially-available Metarhizium-based products available around the world

• different products were listed as either Metarhizium anisopliae or Metarhizium anisopliae var. acridum, which Green Muscle is based on. 

M. anisopliae

USES• used as a biological insecticide to control a

number of pests as Grasshoppers, Termites,Thrips, catterpillers ..aphids/etc.

• use in the control of malaria-transmitting mosquitos

• http://agresearchmag.ars.usda.gov/2006/sep/beet• http://www.isb.vt.edu/brarg/brasym95/genthner9

5.htm• P. D. Bridge*, M. A. J. Williams, C. Prior,

R. R. M. Paterson• http://mic.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journ

al/micro/10.1099/00221287-139-6-1163• African Journal of Biotechnology (AJB)• http://

www.drrajanlaboratories.com/product8.html

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