Utilização de Metarhizium anisopliae contra Alphitobius diaperinus (cascudinho), como garantia de se garantir sanidade, biosseguridade e bem estar animal nas instalações avícolas.

Abstract

This work has allowed the analysis of 2575 isolated species of fungus Metarhizium anisopliae against the dark beetle cascudinho (Alphitobius diaperinus), which parasites poultry and is known to cause damages to the bird’s digestive tract and is responsible for the transmission of some pathogenic agents of illnesses. The study of entomopathogenous agents used for the control of agricultural pests is of basic importance, since the hunt for products that guarantees poultry health; sustainability and animal welfare are major factors for the consuming market within national and international sceneries. Three repetitions with twenty insects per treatment had been carried through, where adult and larvae of cascudinho had been exposed to three different concentrations of fungus, 2x103, 2x106 and 2x109 conidia/mL, for 10 minutes. Mortality was evaluated during 15 consecutive days, where a variation of 5-90% in larvae and 0-5% in the adult insects was verified, but considered not significant (P >.05). Due to the intrinsic characteristics of each organism, several factors can have been responsible for such results.