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REVIEW article

Front. Fungal Biol.
Sec. Fungi-Animal Interactions
Volume 5 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/ffunb.2024.1456964
This article is part of the Research Topic Current Perspectives on the Use of Entomopathogenic Fungi for Pest Control View all articles

General Aspects, Host Interaction, and Application of Metarhizium sp. in Arthropod Pest and Vector Control

Provisionally accepted
Rodrigo P. Miranda Rodrigo P. Miranda 1Talita K. Soares Talita K. Soares 1Daniele P. Castro Daniele P. Castro 1,2*Fernando A. Genta Fernando A. Genta 1,2
  • 1 Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  • 2 Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia para Entomologia Molecular, Institute of Medical Biochemistry, Center for Health Science, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The application of microorganisms as bio-control agents against arthropod populations is a need in many countries, especially in tropical, subtropical, and neotropical endemic areas. Several arthropod species became agricultural pests of paramount economic significance, and many methods have been developed for field and urban applications to prevent their, the most common being the application of chemical insecticides. However, the indiscriminate treatment based upon those substances acted as a selective pressure for upcoming resistant phenotype populations. As alternative tools, microorganisms have been prospected as complementary tools for pest and vectorial control, once they act in a more specific pattern against target organisms than chemicals. They are considered environmentally friendly since they have considerably less off-target effects. Entomopathogenic fungi are organisms capable of exerting pathogenesis in many vector species, thus becoming potential tools for biological management. The entomopathogenic fungi Metarhizium sp. have been investigated as a microbiological agent for the control of populations of insects in tropical regions. However, the development of entomopathogenic fungi as control tools depends on physiological studies regarding aspects such as mechanisms of pathogenicity, secreted enzymes, viability, and host-pathogen aspects. The following review briefly narrates current aspects of entomopathogenic fungi, such as physiology, cellular characteristics, host-pathogen interactions, and its previous applications against different insect orders with medical and economic importance. Approaches integrating new isolation, prospection, characterization, delivery strategies, formulations, and molecular and genetic tools will be decisive to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of EPFs and to develop more sustainable alternative pesticides.

    Keywords: Metarhizium, biological control, arthropod, insecticide, vector control

    Received: 29 Jun 2024; Accepted: 14 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Miranda, Soares, Castro and Genta. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Daniele P. Castro, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.