[Infectivity of the entomopathogenic fungus Verticillium lecanii in mice and guinea pigs].

The resistance of plague insects to chemical insecticides as well as the importance of a healthy environment demands an alternative for agricultural plagues. Among others, biological control seems an alternate strategy with fungal entomopathogens playing a relevant role. The hyphomycete Verticillium lecanii is a natural bioregulator of aphids, scales and white-flies that attack different agricultural plantations. Its use in biological control programs must be assessed previously by safety procedures such as its innocuity in mammals and useful animals and plants. The aim of this study was pointed at demonstrating the innocuity of V. lecanii in mice and guinea pigs. Two strains of the fungus were injected intraperitoneally (10(8) conidia/kg of animal weight) to 130 mice and 66 guinea pigs. Two control groups were included, one injected with heat-killed fungi and the other with sterile physiological saline. The animals were killed at 8, 30 and 70 days after infection, and mycological and histopathological studies performed in their organs. Negative results obtained with the live fungus in the same manner as the two control groups, suggest the innocuity of V. lecanii in mice and guinea pigs.