Experiences with Duddingtonia flagrans administration to parasitized small ruminants

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the nematophagous fungus Duddingtonia flagrans applied orally to small ruminants in a field study in Germany.     

Screening for the presence of nematophagous fungi collected from Irish sheep pastures

With worldwide development of anthelmintic resistance, alternative approaches to the chemotherapeutic dominant approach for the control of parasitic nematodes in sheep are urgently required. As natural enemies of nematodes, nematophagous fungi offer the exciting possibility of an alternative to the dominant anthelmintic approach for parasite control in ruminants. Permanent sheep pasture harbor a promising array of nematophagous fungi and merits further investigation. One hundred and fifty samples of soil, old and fresh faeces were collected from 10 Irish sheep pastures. The three methods employed for the isolation of nematophagous fungi include the Baermann technique, flotation method and the sprinkling–baiting technique. Twenty-nine nematophagous fungi were observed of which 12 were predacious and 17 were endoparasitic. The most prevalent fungi were Cystopage lateralis, Stylopage hadra, Drechmeria coniospora and Meristacrum asterosperum. Permanent sheep pasture is a good source of nematophagous fungi and hence may harbor potential biological control agents. Monacrosporium cionopaga, Duddingtonia flagrans, D. coniospora and Hirsutella rhoissilensis were detected in fresh faecal samples indicating they may have survived the gastrointestinal tract and therefore a viable option as a biological control agent.     

不同培养基及诱导物对捕食性真菌Duddingtonia flagrans发酵液中蛋白质的产生及杀虫作用的影响

为研究捕食性真菌Duddingtonia flagrans发酵液中蛋白质的产生及杀虫作用,使用不同营养成分组成的液体培养基及诱导物,对Duddingtonia flagrans进行培养和诱导,测定其发酵液中的蛋白质含量、蛋白酶活性、磷酸酶活性和杀虫作用,进而确定Duddingtonia flagrans产生胞外蛋白质和杀虫作用最适的培养基与诱导物。结果显示,不同培养基及诱导物对Duddingtonia flagrans的代谢过程会产生明显影响,导致其分泌的蛋白质种类、浓度以及蛋白酶和磷酸酶的活性显著不同;Duddingtonia flagrans发酵液不仅具有杀线虫活性,而且有杀蝇蛆作用。上述结果为进一步研究捕食线虫性真菌的杀虫机理提供了重要参考依据。