View source for Insects (2013) 4, 206-216

{{Publication
|Publication authors=Susan Dimbi, [[Nguya K. Maniania]] and [[Sunday Ekesi]]
|Author Page=Sunday Ekesi, Nguya K. Maniania
|Publication date=2013
|dc:title=Horizontal transmission of ''[[Metarhizium anisopliae (entomopathogen)|Metarhizium anisopliae]]'' in fruit flies and effect of fungal infection on egg laying and fertility
|Publication journal=Insects
|prism:volume=4 (2)
|prism:startingPage=206
|Last page=216
|External link=http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/insects4020206
|Publication abstract=Fly-to-fly transmission of conidia of the entomopathogenic fungus ''Metarhizium anisopliae ''and the effect of fungal infection on the reproductive potential of females surviving infection were investigated in three fruit fly species, ''Ceratitis cosyra'', ''C. fasciventris'', and ''C. capitata''. The number of conidia picked up by a single fruit fly was determined in ''C. cosyra. ''The initial uptake (Day 0) of conidia by a single fly was approx. 1.1 × 10<sup>6</sup> conidia after exposure to the treated substrate. However, the number of conidia dropped from 7.2 × 10<sup>5</sup> to 4.1 × 10<sup>5</sup> conidia after 2 and 8 h post-exposure, respectively. The number of conidia picked up by a single fungus-treated fly ("donor") varied between 3.8 × 10<sup>5</sup> and 1.0 × 10<sup>6</sup> in the three fruit fly species, resulting in 100% mortality 5–6 days post-exposure. When fungus-free flies of both sexes ("recipient" flies) were allowed to mate with "donor" flies, the number of conidia picked up by a single fly varied between 1.0 × 10<sup>5</sup> and 2.5 × 10<sup>5</sup>, resulting in a mortality of 83–100% in ''C. capitata'','' ''72–85% in ''C. cosyra'' and 71–93% in ''C. fasciventris ''10–15 days post-inoculation''. ''There was an effect of fungal infection on female egg laying in the three species of fruit flies as control flies laid more eggs than fungus-treated females. The percentage reduction in fecundity in flies infected with ''M. anisopliae'' was 82, 73 and 37% in ''C. capitata'', ''C. fasciventris ''and ''C. cosyra'', respectively. The results are discussed with regard to application in autodissemination techniques.
|AbstractCC=Yes
|Research topic=biocontrol - natural enemies
|Benf research=transmission/dispersal
|Is book=No
}}
{{Pest record
|Pest=Ceratitis capitata
|Crop=Coffee (Coffea)
|Country=Kenya
|Quarantined=No
}}
{{Pest record
|Pest=Ceratitis cosyra
|Crop=Mango (Mangifera indica)
|Country=Kenya
|Quarantined=No
}}
{{Pest record
|Pest=Ceratitis fasciventris
|Crop=Coffee (Coffea)
|Country=Kenya
|Quarantined=No
}}
{{Beneficial record
|Beneficial=Metarhizium anisopliae (entomopathogen)
|Pest=Ceratitis capitata
|Country=Kenya
}}
{{Beneficial record
|Beneficial=Metarhizium anisopliae (entomopathogen)
|Pest=Ceratitis cosyra
|Country=Kenya
}}
{{Beneficial record
|Beneficial=Metarhizium anisopliae (entomopathogen)
|Pest=Ceratitis fasciventris
|Country=Kenya
}}