Nematophagous fungi as biological control agents of parasitic nematodes in soils of wildlife parks

Infections with soil-transmitted helminths pose a significant threat to wildlife in enclosures, where transmission of these parasitic larvae is easier due to the limited space. Nematophagous fungi offer a promising solution as they can naturally control these nematodes. In this study, three nematoph...

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Main Authors: Christopher Sander, Stephan Neumann
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-04-01
Series:International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213224424001299
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author Christopher Sander
Stephan Neumann
author_facet Christopher Sander
Stephan Neumann
author_sort Christopher Sander
collection DOAJ
description Infections with soil-transmitted helminths pose a significant threat to wildlife in enclosures, where transmission of these parasitic larvae is easier due to the limited space. Nematophagous fungi offer a promising solution as they can naturally control these nematodes. In this study, three nematophagous fungi (Arthrobotrys oligospora, Dactylaria scaphoides, Nematoctonus leiosporus) purchased from the non-profit global biological resource center ATCC were tested for their suitability as biological control agents. The nematodes Strongyloides sp., Trichostrongylus sp. and Oesophagostomum sp. Were isolated from three animal species: wild boar (Sus scrofa) (n = 10), fallow deer (Dama) (n = 5) and mouflon (Ovis orientalis musimon) (n = 5) from a wildlife park using the Baermann-Wetzel method. In a second step, the fungi were brought into contact with the parasites on the soil of the enclosures. The two media tests showed that the nematophagous fungi were more effective on the agar plate than on the autoclaved soil. Only D. scaphoides showed good efficacy on both media, while the other two fungi showed more marked differences on the two media. The results showed that these three nematophagous fungi can reduce parasites in soil before they are ingested by an infected animal. Given the increasing development of drug resistance and the use of chemical agents for soil treatment, this is an important finding that should be pursued in the future.
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spelling doaj-art-a269b39dde6c4a94b1bca717bb7f8cf72025-08-20T03:08:00ZengElsevierInternational Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife2213-22442025-04-012610103310.1016/j.ijppaw.2024.101033Nematophagous fungi as biological control agents of parasitic nematodes in soils of wildlife parksChristopher Sander0Stephan Neumann1Corresponding author.; Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Georg-August-University of Goettingen, Burckhardtweg 2, 37077, Goettingen, GermanyInstitute of Veterinary Medicine, Georg-August-University of Goettingen, Burckhardtweg 2, 37077, Goettingen, GermanyInfections with soil-transmitted helminths pose a significant threat to wildlife in enclosures, where transmission of these parasitic larvae is easier due to the limited space. Nematophagous fungi offer a promising solution as they can naturally control these nematodes. In this study, three nematophagous fungi (Arthrobotrys oligospora, Dactylaria scaphoides, Nematoctonus leiosporus) purchased from the non-profit global biological resource center ATCC were tested for their suitability as biological control agents. The nematodes Strongyloides sp., Trichostrongylus sp. and Oesophagostomum sp. Were isolated from three animal species: wild boar (Sus scrofa) (n = 10), fallow deer (Dama) (n = 5) and mouflon (Ovis orientalis musimon) (n = 5) from a wildlife park using the Baermann-Wetzel method. In a second step, the fungi were brought into contact with the parasites on the soil of the enclosures. The two media tests showed that the nematophagous fungi were more effective on the agar plate than on the autoclaved soil. Only D. scaphoides showed good efficacy on both media, while the other two fungi showed more marked differences on the two media. The results showed that these three nematophagous fungi can reduce parasites in soil before they are ingested by an infected animal. Given the increasing development of drug resistance and the use of chemical agents for soil treatment, this is an important finding that should be pursued in the future.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213224424001299Soil-transmitted helminthsNematodesPredatory fungiWildlifePest management
spellingShingle Christopher Sander
Stephan Neumann
Nematophagous fungi as biological control agents of parasitic nematodes in soils of wildlife parks
International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife
Soil-transmitted helminths
Nematodes
Predatory fungi
Wildlife
Pest management
title Nematophagous fungi as biological control agents of parasitic nematodes in soils of wildlife parks
title_full Nematophagous fungi as biological control agents of parasitic nematodes in soils of wildlife parks
title_fullStr Nematophagous fungi as biological control agents of parasitic nematodes in soils of wildlife parks
title_full_unstemmed Nematophagous fungi as biological control agents of parasitic nematodes in soils of wildlife parks
title_short Nematophagous fungi as biological control agents of parasitic nematodes in soils of wildlife parks
title_sort nematophagous fungi as biological control agents of parasitic nematodes in soils of wildlife parks
topic Soil-transmitted helminths
Nematodes
Predatory fungi
Wildlife
Pest management
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213224424001299
work_keys_str_mv AT christophersander nematophagousfungiasbiologicalcontrolagentsofparasiticnematodesinsoilsofwildlifeparks
AT stephanneumann nematophagousfungiasbiologicalcontrolagentsofparasiticnematodesinsoilsofwildlifeparks