This study demonstrates that zinc sulphate enhances pathogenicity of Metarhizium anisopliae in leafcutter ants, suggesting potential for improved pest management.
Leafcutter ants are important pests in Latin American agriculture. The use of immunosuppressants, which suppress the innate immunity of insects, could enhance the effect of entomopathogenic fungi in the biological control of leafcutter ants. On this basis, the study aimed to verify the increase of pathogenicity of Metarhizium anisopliae on Atta sexdens workers treated with zinc sulphate (ZnSO4). The following treatments were performed to evaluate the interaction between the entomopathogen and the immunosuppressant: (i) TC (control treatment): autoclaved distilled water + 0.05% Tween-80; (ii) T1: suspension of 106 conidia/mL of M. anisopliae; (iii) T2: 0.15 g/L ZnSO4; and (iv) T3: 0.15 g/L ZnSO4 + a suspension of 106 conidia/mL of M. anisopliae. The experiments indicated that ZnSO4 favored M. anisopliae activity and increased worker mortality by 18%.
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Silva et al. (2025) studied this question.
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