Determination and characterization of destruxin production in Metarhizium anisopliae Tk6 and formulations for Aedes aegypti mosquitoes control at the field level

Destruxins, cyclic hexadepsipeptide toxins, secreted by the entomopathogenic fungus, Metarhizium anisopliae through extracellular synthesis. The present study reports a new approach for the analysis of DTXs produced by the fungal strain Metarhizium anisoliae Tk6, using FRIR-HPLC-LC-MS and H1 NMR. The results also showed that production of the major DTXs A, B, C, and E have to be determined in Czapek Dextrose (CD) liquid culture filtrate from 9 to 12 days post-inoculation. Purified DTX were further tested in bioassays to assess their effects of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. The four major purified DTX compounds were found to cause a toxic effect on the larval developmental stages of mosquitoes with high mortality rates. However, DTX E outperformed the other three DTXs by causing the highest mortality three days after inoculation. This result gives an alternative approach of using DTXs in mosquitoes control and used as a new method for other pest management.