BACKGROUND

Zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis is a major public health problem in Iran with the main vector of . The use of entomopathogenic fungi for biological control of the vector is a potential substitute for the current methods which are being used. The purpose of the current study was to assess the virulence of two local isolates of (OZ and TV) against .

METHODS

To perform the bioassay test, fungal suspensions were applied for every stage of the sand fly life cycle. The mortality rate, longevity, and number of eggs laid were determined. Also, the probability of fungal survival on the surface of rodent's body was assessed.

RESULTS

The longevity of infected adult sand flies with both isolates of was significantly lower (P< 0.05) in comparison to the negative control. The estimated Lethal concentration 50 (LC) values for adult female and male sand flies treated with OZ isolate were 1.4×10 and 2.2×10 conidia/ml, respectively, while they were 6.8×10 and 2.3×10 conidia/ml for TV isolate, respectively. Both isolates of exhibited nonsignificant mortality rates in sand fly larvae and pupae and fecundity rate (P> 0.05). According to our findings for both isolates, the fungus continued to spread throughout the surface of the rodent's body for 144 hours after spraying.

CONCLUSION

The current study demonstrated that both isolates of have considerable biological control capacity against adult sand flies.