Meeting Abstract

P1.23  Jan. 4  Role of Environmental Factors in the Eradication of the Lyme Disease Causing Agent: Ixodes Scapularis ROSA, D*; TUININGA, A; BOLNET, C; Medgar Evers College; Fordham University; Medgar Evers College dieshia@gmail.com

Ixodes scapularis, the black-legged tick, is known to carry Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme Disease. One way to decrease the spread of Lyme disease is by controlling the tick population. Many methods have been used to decrease tick populations and one known technique is fungal biocontrol agents that penetrate through the tick cuticles. Potential entomopathogenic fungal species include Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae. These fungi are thought to be most pathogenic at specific temperatures and levels of relative humidity. To test the environmental range at which these species were most virulent, I designed an incubator study in which field-collected nymphal-stage ticks were exposed to either M. anisopliae, B. bassiana or no additional fungi. There were 10 replicate ticks per fungal treatment in each temperature/humidity combination. Ticks were incubated at a relative humidity of 100%, 95%, 85% or 75% in temperatures of 15,30, and 40 degree Celsius over a two week period. I found that both fungi increased tick mortality in comparison to the control ticks, particularly at high levels of humidity. At low humidity or at high temperature, all ticks died quickly regardless of presence of fungi. In conclusion, these findings indicate that entomopathogenic fungi used as biocontrol agents would be most effective at moderate temperatures and high humidity.