Trials to control South American ticks with entomopathogenic fungi

Ticks are parasites of great importance to man, domestic, and wild animals. In spite of the progress of the science, thus far, ticks are controlled mainly by chemical acaricides and when this technique is used in an indiscriminate way it can lead to ambiental pollution and development of tick resistance to acarcides. The studies developed in the Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro demonstrate that some isolates of the fungi Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana are pathogens for ticks and their action effects the mortality of ticks and reduces the populational levels in subsequent generations. In future, research needs to address the search of new pathogens; the association of biological with chemical products seeking an synergistic action; the search of formulations that propitiate increased stability, and careful studies on the safety of biological products for use in animals.