| dc.description.abstract | The effect of the pathogenic fungus, Beauveria bassiana, on the invasion and proliferation of
the entomopathogenic nematode, Heterorhabditis indica, in larvae of the waxmoth, Galleria mellonella,
was investigated. Simultaneous application of both pathogens did not cause any significant decrease in
nematode penetration (6.0%) in comparison to infection with nematodes only (7.4%). However, when the
insect larvae were preinoculated with B. bassiana for 24, 48, 72, or 96 h before nematode application, the
mean percentage penetration was significantly reduced to 1.7, 1.4, 1.7, and 0.0, respectively. When the
larvae were infected with nematodes only (control), the number of nematodes collected, after 2 weeks
after the death of the insect, was 106,000 nematodes per larva (i.e., 14,380 nematodes per one injected
juvenile (InjJ)). However, when the G. mellonella larvae were simultaneously inoculated with both
agents, the total number of nematodes produced was restricted to 35,000 nematodes per larva (5,866
nematodes per InjJ). A more dramatic effect was observed when larvae were preinoculated with B.
bassiana before nematode application. The 24 h preinoculation period resulted in the decreased harvest of
2,160 nematodes per larva (1,256 nematode per InjJ), while the other preinoculation regimes caused a
total inhibition of nematode production. Increasing the number of nematode juveniles inside
preinoculated by fungus larvae by injection reduced the inhibitory effect of the fungus on the
development of hermaphrodites. The observed results indicate the occurrence of antagonistic interactions
between the two pathogens inside the infected insect. | en_US |
