Eugregarines reduce susceptibility of the hide beetle, Dermestes maculatus, to apicomplexan pathogens and retard larval development.

Eugregarines are abundant in a great diversity of invertebrates, and yet their relationships with their hosts are subject to controversy and confusion. We tested the effect of the eugregarine, Pyxinia crystalligera, on growth, development, and susceptibility to two Apicomplexa pathogens of the hide beetle, D. maculatus.

A nuptially transmitted ichthyosporean symbiont of Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae).

The yellow mealworm, Tenebrio molitor, harbors a symbiont that has spores with a thick, laminated wall and infects the fat body and ventral nerve chord of adult and larval beetles. In adult males, there is heavy infection of the epithelial cells of the testes and between testes lobes with occasional penetration of the lobes. Spores are enveloped in the spermatophores when they are formed at the time of mating and transferred to the female's bursa copulatrix.

Bacillus thuringiensis Cry3Aa toxin increases the susceptibility of Crioceris quatuordecimpunctata to Beauveria bassiana infection.

The spotted asparagus beetle, Crioceris quatuordecimpunctata (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), is one of the most devastating pests of asparagus in China. Sprayed synthetic pesticides have been used to control C. quatuordecimpunctata damage, but they pose problems because of residues and harm to natural enemies.

Dietary stress increases the susceptibility of Tribolium castaneum to Beauveria bassiana.

Sanitation being an important component of chemical-free management of stored-products pests, the nutritional stress on insects that results from a clean environment may prove advantageous to the use of microbial controls. Dietary stress by food deprivation or suboptimal diet increased susceptibility of the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), larvae to Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin. Fungus-related mortality increased linearly with the number of days of food deprivation.

Trypsin-like proteins of the fungi as possible markers of pathogenicity.

Sequences of peptidases with conserved motifs around the active site residues that are characteristic of trypsins (similar to trypsin peptidases, STP) were obtained from publicly-available fungal genomes and related databases. Among the 75 fungal genomes, 29 species of parasitic Ascomycota contained genes encoding STP and their homologs. Searches of non-redundant protein sequences, patented protein sequences, and expressed sequence tags resulted in another 18 STP sequences in 10 fungal species from Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and Zygomycota.

Occurrence of Nosema oryzaephili in Cryptolestes ferrugineus and transfer to the genus Paranosema.

A microsporidium that closely resembles Paranosema species at the level of the light microscope was isolated from the rusty grain beetle, Cryptolestes ferrugineus. It's identity as Nosema oryzaephili (originally described from Oryzaephilus surinamensis) was confirmed by comparison with a known isolate of N. oryzaephili based on spore size, small subunit rDNA sequence, and relative infectivity to O.

Evaluation of quantitative PCR reference genes for gene expression studies in Tribolium castaneum after fungal challenge.

To investigate gene expression in Tribolium castaneum exposed to Beauveria bassiana, reference genes for qPCR were evaluated. Of these, beta-actin, alpha-tubulin, and RPS6 were not stable. The most stable were ribosomal protein genes, RPS3, RPS18, and RPL13a.

Analysis of transcriptome data in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum.

The whole genome sequence of Tribolium castaneum, a worldwide coleopteran pest of stored products, has recently been determined. In order to facilitate accurate annotation and detailed functional analysis of this genome, we have compiled and analyzed all available expressed sequence tag (EST) data. The raw data consist of 61,228 ESTs, including 10,704 obtained from NCBI and an additional 50,524 derived from 32,544 clones generated in our laboratories.

Enhanced efficacy of Beauveria bassiana for red flour beetle with reduced moisture.

Red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), is a major pest of stored and processed grains that is tolerant of Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin under most conditions. Laboratory assays demonstrated that desiccating conditions improved the efficacy of the fungus. For T.

Detection of Mattesia oryzaephili (Neogregarinorida: Lipotrophidae) in grain beetle laboratory colonies with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

An indirect sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of the neogregarine Mattesia oryzaephili was developed with monoclonal antibodies. It was used to screen laboratory colonies of Oryzaephilus surinamensis, Cryptolestes ferrugineus, C. pusillus, and C.

From Metchnikoff to Monsanto and beyond: the path of microbial control.

In 125 years since Metchnikoff proposed the use of Metarhizium anisopliae to control the wheat cockchafer and brought about the first field trials, microbial control has progressed from the application of naturalists' observations to biotechnology and precision delivery. This review highlights major milestones in its evolution and presents a perspective on its current direction. Fungal pathogens, the most eye-catching agents, dominated the early period, but major mycological control efforts for chinch bugs and citrus pests in the US had questionable success, and interest waned.

Efficacy of Bauveria bassiana for red flour beetle when applied with plant essential oils or in mineral oil and organosilicone carriers.

The carriers mineral oil and Silwet L-77 and the botanical insecticides Neemix 4.5 and Hexacide were evaluated for their impacts on the efficacy of Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin conidia against red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), larvae. The dosages of liquid treatments were quantified by both conidia concentration in the spray volume and conidia deposition on the target surface.

Control of sawtoothed grain beetles (Coleoptera: Silvanidae) in stored oats by using an entomopathogenic fungus in conjunction with seed resistance.

We tested the hypothesis that the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana would be more efficacious on oat cultivars that prolonged the immature developmental period of sawtoothed grain beetle, Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L.), a storage pest. However, percentage of reduction in progeny production was similar on whole 'Don' and 'Paul' oats treated with fungus, even though immature developmental time was longer on whole 'Don' than on 'Paul' oats.

A proposed role for the cuticular fatty amides of Liposcelis bostrychophila (Psocoptera: Liposcelidae) in preventing adhesion of entomopathogenic fungi with dry-conidia.

Maximum challenge exposure of Liposcelis bostrychophila to Beauveria bassiana, Paecilomyces fumosoroseus, Aspergillus parasiticus or Metarhizium anisopliae resulted in no more than 16% mortality. We investigated several of L. bostrychophila's cuticular lipids for possible contributions to its tolerance for entomopathogenic fungi.

Diatomaceous earth increases the efficacy of Beauveria bassiana against Tribolium castaneum larvae and increases conidia attachment.

This research tested the suppressive ability of Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin alone and in combination with diatomaceous earth against the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst). Adults did not show a dose response to B. bassiana, and the addition of diatomaceous earth (DE) did not result in a significant increase in mortality.

Cuticular lipids of the booklouse, Liposcelis bostrychophila: hydrocarbons, aldehydes, fatty acids, and fatty acid amides.

The booklouse, Liposcelis bostrychophila, is an increasingly common pest of stored food products worldwide. We report here the cuticular lipid composition of this pest (the first report of the hydrocarbons of any member of the Order Psocoptera and the first report of fatty acid amides as cuticular components for any insect). No unsaturated hydrocarbons were present.

Eicosanoids mediate Manduca sexta cellular response to the fungal pathogen Beauveria bassiana: a role for the lipoxygenase pathway.

Many studies have documented the involvement of eicosanoids in insect cellular immune responses to bacteria. The use of the fungal pathogen Beauveria bassiana as a nodulation elicitor, with inhibition of phospholipase A(2) by dexamethasone, extends the principle to fungi. This study also provides the first evidence of involvement of the lipoxygenase (LOX) pathway rather than the cyclooxygenase (COX) pathway in synthesis of the nodulation mediating eicosanoid(s).