Avaliação in vivo dos fungos entomopatogênicos Metarhizium anisopliae e Beauveria bassiana associados ou não com deltametrina no controle de uma cepa do carrapato Boophilus microplus resistente a piretróides

Abstract

Boophilus microplus can cause several cattle pathology and thus economic losses. Moreover, this tick species is able to develop resistance to acaricides. The biological control is a great promise to control cattle ticks populations. The aim of the present study was to contribute to the development of a new complementary method to control B. microplus. Therefore, it has been evaluated the compatibility between deltamethrin and the entomopathogenic fungi Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae toward B. microplus tick in a stable test. It was used a tick strain resistant to pyrethroid and calves were artificially infested. A total of 8 calves were held in individual housing and infested with B. microplus larvae every other day for 25 days. After that, 4 treatments were realized with 2 calves per group. The control group was tested receiving just water; the second group was tested receiving M. anisopliae in a 108 conidia ml-1 suspension; the third one was tested receiving a 25 ppm deltamethrin solution; and the forth group was tested receiving a solution containing a 108 conidia ml-1 M. anisopliae suspension associated with a 25 ppm deltamethrin solution. The mortality rate was 32.57% in the second group, 38.58% in the third group, and 30.92% in the forth one. The main changes in ticks biology were a decreased nutritional rate until the forth day after treatment. The deltamethrin group was an exception with a decreased rate until the second day after treatment. The production of eggs rate was also decreased until the second day after treatment in all 3 tested groups. Therefore, the association between deltamethrin and B. bassiana and M. anisopliae could be used for B. microplus integrated management. Based on compatibility between acaricide and biological agents, it could be possible the use of both simultaneously on infested cattle. Thus, it is possible to control ticks resistant to deltamethrin if an association with entomogenous fungi such as Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae is established. The best performance of these fungi, associated or not with deltamethrin, was observed for a short period after treatment.