Pathogenicity of a new China variety of Metarhizium anisopliae (M. Anisopliae var. Dcjhyium) to subterranean termite Odontotermes formosanus

SummaryThe pathogenicity of a new China variety of Metarhizium anisopliae (M. anisopliae var. dcjhyium) against the subterranean termite Odontotermes formosanus and the effect of the fungal fermented solution on hemolymph intracellular calcium were studied in laboratory. Conidia from the M. anisopliae var. dcjhyium were highly virulent for O. formosanus causing approximately 100% mortality 3 days post-inoculation in the concentration of 3×108 conidia/ml. The conidial clumps with conidial chains distributed on the cadavers of termite. When the termite was treated with 3×105 conidia/ml for 2 days, two constitutive proteins (91 and 105 kDa) disappeared and a new specific protein (40 kDa) appeared in the hemolymph of survivors relative to the controls. Hemolymph cells treated by the fungal fermented solution had a significantly higher level of intracellular calcium than controls 30 min after treatment (×1.7). When the termite O. formosanus was infected by the entomopathogenic fungus M. anisopliae var. dcjhyium, hyphae invaded the integument and body cavity of the termite; well-developed muscles and fat tissue in the thorax of termite were decomposed and absorbed by hyphae, and formed the net structure; Hyphae seriously destroyed hemolymph, various tissues, pipelines and produced large number of conidia in the body of termite.