TY - JOUR AU - Yoder, Jay A. AU - Pekins, Peter J. AU - Nelson, Blake W. AU - Randazzo, Christian R. AU - Siemon, Brett P. PY - 2017/06/01 Y2 - 2024/03/28 TI - SUSCEPTIBILITY OF WINTER TICK LARVAE AND EGGS TO ENTOMOPATHOGENIC FUNGI - BEAUVERIA BASSIANA, BEAUVERIA CALEDONICA, METARHIZIUM ANISOPLIAE, AND SCOPULARIOPSIS BREVICAULIS JF - Alces: A Journal Devoted to the Biology and Management of Moose JA - Alces VL - 53 IS - 0 SE - Articles DO - UR - https://www.alcesjournal.org/index.php/alces/article/view/179 SP - 41-51 AB - <p>An isolate of the soil fungus <em>Scopulariopsis brevicaulis</em> was identified from the surface of female winter ticks (<em>Dermacentor albipictus</em>) collected from recently dead moose (<em>Alces alces</em>) calves in New Hampshire in the northeastern United States. It was the sole isolate, and it matched with 98% nucITS similarity (molecular systematics Blast match) to <em>S. brevicaulis</em> species from soil and other tick species. Inoculation of tick larvae and eggs with 108 spores/mL + 0.05% Tween (aqueous inoculum) resulted in mortality, reduced survival time, and recovery of<em> S. brevicaulis</em> from within tick tissues. Rapid water loss and death from dehydration were the pathogenic consequences of the fungal infection. Three entomopathogenic fungal isolates from laboratory culture (<em>Beauveria bassiana</em>, <em>B. caledonica</em>,and <em>Metarhizium anisopliae</em>) inoculated concurrently at the same dose, were slightly less pathogenic to eggs than larvae of winter ticks. We conclude that <em>S. brevicaulis</em> imposes a limitation on the free-living stages of the winter tick population in specific environmental conditions, but commercial fungal treatments as used in local situations to control ticks, are impractical as a means of controlling winter tick density across moose habitats.</p> ER -