In vitro susceptibility of nematophagous fungi to antiparasitic drugs: interactions and implications for biological control

摘要

The fast anthelmintic resistance development has shown a limited efficiency in the control of animala??s endoparasitosis and has promoted research using alternative control methods. The use of chemicals in animal anthelmintic treatment, in association with nematophagous fungi used for biological control, is a strategy that has proven to be effective in reducing the nematode population density in farm animals. This study aims to verify the in vitro susceptibility of the nematophagous fungi Arthrobotrys oligospora , Duddingtonia flagrans and Paecilomyces lilacinus against the antiparasitic drugs albendazole, thiabendazole, ivermectin, levamisole and closantel by using the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC). MICs ranged between 4.0 and 0.031 ?μg/mL for albendazole, thiabendazole and ivermectin, between 0.937 and 0.117 ?μg/mL for levamisole, and between 0.625 and 0.034 ?μg/mL for closantel. The results showed that all antiparasitic drugs had an in vitro inhibitory effect on nematophagous fungi, which could compromise their action as agents of biological control. D . flagrans was the most susceptible species to all drugs.