The ovicidal effect of the nematophagous fungus
Pochonia chlamydosporia on eggs of
Ascaris suum was tested under laboratory conditions.
A. suum eggs were plated on 2% water–agar with seven fungal isolates (Isol. 5, Isol. 31, Isol. 1, VC1, Isol. 12, Isol. 22 and VC4)
and control without fungus. After 5, 7, 10, 14, 15 and 21 days of incubation, approximately 100 eggs were removed from the
plates and classified according to the following parameters: type 1, biochemical and physiological effect without morphological
damage to the eggshell, type 2, lytic effect with morphological alteration of the eggshell and embryo and type 3, lytic effect
with morphological alteration of eggshell and embryo showing hyphal penetration and internal egg colonization. The isolates
effectively destroyed
A. suum eggs and all types of effects were observed during the experiment. There was no variation in ovicidal capacity (type 3 effect)
among the isolates (
p > 0.05) throughout the experiment. After 21 days, isolate 5 showed the highest percentages of type 3 effect (58.33%). The
results indicated that
P. chlamydosporia (Isol. 5, Isol. 31, Isol. 1, VC1, Isol. 12, Isol. 22 and VC4) can destroy
A. suum eggs and is, therefore, a potential biological control agent of nematodes.
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