Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-2pzkn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-06T01:31:52.869Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

In vitro liquid culture of the mollusc-parasitic nematode Phasmarhabditis (Rhabditida: Rhabditidae)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 November 2022

A. Pieterse
Affiliation:
Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, Faculty of AgriSciences, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa
S. Haukeland
Affiliation:
International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), PO Box 30772-00100, Nairobi, Kenya Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO), PO Box 115, NO-1431 Ås, Norway
V. Půža
Affiliation:
Biology Centre CAS, Institute of Entomology ASCR, Laboratory of Entomopathogenic Nematodes, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
J. L. Ross*
Affiliation:
Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, Faculty of AgriSciences, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen AB24 3UU, United Kingdom
A. P. Malan
Affiliation:
Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, Faculty of AgriSciences, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa
*
Author for correspondence: J. L. Ross, E-mail: jenna.ross@abdn.ac.uk

Abstract

The success of the mollusc-parasitic nematode, Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita (Schneider) Andrássy (Rhabditida: Rhabditidae), as a biological control agent in Europe has led to worldwide interest in phasmarhabditids as biocontrol agents. In this study, the mass culture potential of three phasmarhabditids, namely Phasmarhabditis papillosa, Phasmarhabditis kenyaensis and Phasmarhabditis bohemica, was assessed. In addition, ten bacterial candidates, consisting of seven associated with slugs and three associated with entomopathogenic nematodes, were investigated. The bacteria were tested for their ability to cause mortality to Deroceras invadens, as well as to support nematode growth. Initial mortality studies demonstrated that Kluyvera, Aeromonas and Pseudomonas spp. (AP3) caused 100% mortality when they were injected into the haemocoel of D. invadens. However, in growth studies, Pseudomonas sp. (AP4) was found to be the most successful bacterium, leading to recovery and reproduction in almost all nematode species, except for P. kenyaensis. In flask studies, P. bohemica, which showed exceptional growth with Pseudomonas sp. (AP1), was chosen for further investigation. The effect of inoculating flasks with different concentrations of Pseudomonas sp. (AP1), as well as with different concentrations of P. bohemica, was evaluated by assessing the nematode populations for 14 days. The results indicated that the lowest, 1% (v/v), bacteria inoculation led to higher total nematode and to infective juvenile (IJ) yield, with flasks with the highest IJ inoculum (3000 IJs/ml) having a positive effect on the total number of nematodes and IJs in cultures of P. bohemica. This study presents improvements for the mass-culturing of nematodes associated with molluscs.

Type
Research Paper
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

*

Current address: Crop Health and Protection (CHAP), National Agri-Food Innovation Campus, Sand Hutton, York. YO411LZ, United Kingdom.

References

Abd-Elgawad, MMM, Askary, TH and Coupland, J (2017) Biocontrol agents: Entomopathogenic and slug parasitic nematodes. Wallingford, CABI Publishing.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
De Ley, IT, McDonnell, R, Paine, TD and de Ley, P (2017) Phasmarhabditis: the slug and snail parasitic nematodes in North America. pp. 560578. In Abd-Elgawad, MMM, Askary, TH and Coupland, J (Eds) Biocontrol agents: Entomopathogenic and slug parasitic nematodes. Wallingford, CABI Publishing.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dreyer, J, Malan, AP and Dicks, LMT (2018) Bacteria of the genus Xenorhabdus, a novel source of bioactive compounds. Frontiers in Microbiology 9(3177), 114.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dunn, MD, Belur, PD and Malan, AP (2020) In vitro liquid culture and optimization of Steinernema jeffreyense, using shake flasks. BioControl 65(2), 223233.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dunn, MD, Prasanna, DB and Malan, AP (2021) A review of the in vitro liquid mass culture of entomopathogenic nematodes. Biocontrol Science and Technology 31(1), 121.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ehlers, R-U (2001) Mass production of entomopathogenic nematodes for plant protection. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology 56(5–6), 623633.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ehlers, R-U and Shapiro-Ilan, DI (2005) Mass production. pp. 6578. In Grewal, PS, Ehlers, R-U and Shapiro-Ilan, DI (Eds) Nematodes as biocontrol agents. Croydon, CABI Publishing.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ehlers, R-U, Niemann, I, Hollmer, S, Strauch, O, Jende, D, Shanmugasundaram, M, Mehta, UK, Easwaramoorthy, SK and Burnell, A (2000) Mass production potential of the bacto-helminthic biocontrol complex Heterorhabditis indica - Photorhabdus luminescens. Biocontrol Science and Technology 10(5), 607616.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
El-Sadawy, AH (2011) Mass production of Steinernema spp. on in vitro developed solid medium. World Applied Sciences Journal 14(6), 803813.Google Scholar
Felske, A, Rheims, H, Wolterink, A, Stackebrandt, E and Akkermans, ADL (1997) Ribosome analysis reveals prominent activity of an uncultured member of the class Actinobacteria in grassland soils. Microbiology 143(9), 29832989.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ferreira, T, van Reenen, C, Pagès, S, Tailliez, P, Malan, AP and Dicks, LMT (2013a) Photorhabdus luminescens subsp. noenieputensis subsp. nov., a symbiotic bacterium associated with a novel Heterorhabditis species related to Heterorhabditis indica. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology 63(5), 18531858.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ferreira, T, van Reenen, C, Endo, A, Spröer, C, Malan, AP and Dicks, LMT (2013b) Description of Xenorhabdus khoisanae sp. nov., the symbiont of the entomopathogenic nematode Steinernema khoisanae. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology 63(9), 32203224.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ferreira, T, van Reenen, CA, Endo, A, Tailliez, P, Pagès, S, Spröer, C, Malan, AP and Dicks, LMT (2014) Photorhabdus heterorhabditis sp. nov., a symbiont of the entomopathogenic nematode Heterorhabditis zealandica. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology 64(5), 15401545.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Glen, DM, Wilson, MJ, Pearce, JD and Rodgers, PB (1994) Discovery and investigation of a novel nematode parasite for biological control of slugs. pp. 617–624. Proceedings of the Brighton crop protection conference – pests and diseases. Alton, British Crop Protection Council.Google Scholar
Grewal, SK, Grewal, PS and Hammond, RB (2003) Susceptibility of North American native and non-native slugs (Mollusca: Gastropoda) to Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita (Nematoda: Rhabditidae). Biocontrol Science and Technology 13(1), 119125.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Han, RC (1996) The effects of inoculum size on yield of Steinernema carpocapsae and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora in liquid culture. Nematologica 42(5), 546553.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Iglesias, J and Speiser, B (2001) Consumption rate and susceptibility to parasitic nematodes and chemical molluscicides of the pest slugs Arion hortensis s. s. and A. distinctus. Journal of Pesticide Science 74(6), 159166.Google Scholar
Lacey, LA and Georgis, R (2012) Entomopathogenic nematodes for control of insect pests above and below ground with comments on commercial production. Journal of Nematology 44(2), 218225.Google ScholarPubMed
Lee, MM and Stock, SP (2010) A multigene approach for accessing evolutionary relationships of Xenorhabdus spp. (gamma-Proteobacteria), the bacterial symbionts of entomopathogenic Steinernema nematodes. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology 104(2), 6774.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lu, D, Macchietto, M, Chang, D, Barros, MM, Baldwin, J, Mortazavi, A and Dillman, AR (2017) Activated entomopathogenic nematode infective juveniles release lethal venom proteins. PLoS Pathogens 13(4), e1006302.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Morand, SM, Wilson, MJ and Glen, DM (2004) Nematodes (Nematoda) parasitic in terrestrial gastropods. pp. 525557. In Barker, GM (Ed.) Natural enemies of terrestrial molluscs. Wallingford, CABI Publishing.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nermuť, J, Půža, V, Mekete, T and Mráček, Z (2017) Phasmarhabditis bohemica n. sp. (Nematoda: Rhabditidae), a slug-parasitic nematode from the Czech Republic. Nematology 19(1), 93107.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pieterse, A (2016) Investigating the potential of indigenous nematode isolates to control invasive molluscs in canola. Thesis, Stellenbosch University. Available at http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/100060 (accessed 8 November 2022).Google Scholar
Pieterse, A, Malan, AP, Kruitbos, LM, Sirgel, W and Ross, JL (2017a) Nematodes associated with terrestrial slugs from canola fields and ornamental nurseries in South Africa. Zootaxa 4312(1), 194200.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pieterse, A, Tiedt, LR, Malan, AP and Ross, JL (2017b) First record of Phasmarhabditis papillosa (Nematoda: Rhabditidae) in South Africa, and its virulence against the invasive slug, Deroceras panormitanum. Nematology 19(9), 10351050.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pieterse, A, Rowson, B, Tiedt, L, Malan, AP, Haukeland, S and Ross, JL (2020) Phasmarhabditis kenyaensis n. sp. (Nematoda: Rhabditidae) from the slug, Polytoxon robustum, in Kenya. Nematology 23(2), 229245.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Poinar, GO Jr and Hansen, EL (1986) Associations between nematodes and bacteria. Helminthological Abstracts Series B 55(1), 6181.Google Scholar
Rae, R, Verdun, C, Grewal, PS, Robertson, JF and Wilson, MJ (2007) Biological control of terrestrial molluscs using Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita – progress and prospects. Pest Management Science 63(12), 11531164.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ross, JL (2010) Diversity and mass production of slug-parasitic nematodes. PhD thesis, University of AberdeenGoogle Scholar
Ross, JL (2019) Riding the slime wave: gathering global data on slug control. Taunton, Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust Report.Google Scholar
San-Blas, E, Gowen, SR and Pembroke, B (2008) Steinernema feltiae: ammonia triggers the emergence of their infective juveniles. Experimental Parasitology 119(1), 180185.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shapiro-Ilan, DI and Gaugler, R (2002) Production technology for entomopathogenic nematodes and their bacterial symbionts. Journal of Indian Microbiology and Biotechnology 28(3), 137146.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shapiro-Ilan, DI, Lewis, EE, Paramasivam, S and McCoy, CW (2000) Nitrogen partitioning in Heterorhabditis bacteriophora-infected hosts and the effects of nitrogen on attraction/repulsion. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology 76(1), 4348.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sheehy, L, Cutler, J, Weedall, GD and Rae, R (2022) Microbiome analysis of malacopathogenic nematodes suggests no evidence of a single bacterial symbiont responsible for gastropod mortality. Frontiers in Immunology 13(1), 878783.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Speiser, B, Zaller, JG and Newdecker, A (2001) Size-specific susceptibility of the pest slugs Deroceras reticulatum and Arion lusitanicus to the nematode biocontrol agent Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita. BioControl 46(3), 311320.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tan, L and Grewal, PS (2001) Infection behavior of the rhabditid nematode Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita to the grey garden slug Deroceras reticulatum. Journal of Parasitology 87(6), 13491354.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weiser, J (1955) Neoplectana carpocapsae n. sp. (Anguillulata, Steinernematinae), novy cizopasník housenek obalece jablecného, Carpocapsa pomonella L. Vestnik Ceskoslovenske Spolecnosti Zoologicke 19(1), 4452.Google Scholar
Wilson, MJ, Glen, DM and George, SK (1993) The rhabditid nematode Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita as a potential biological control agent for slugs. Biocontrol Science and Technology 3(4), 503511.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilson, MJ, Glen, DM, Pearce, JD and Rodgers, PB (1995a) Monoxenic culture of the slug parasite Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita (Nematoda: Rhabditidae) with different bacteria in liquid and solid phase. Fundamental and Applied Nematology 18(2), 159166.Google Scholar
Wilson, MJ, Glen, DM, George, SK and Pearce, JD (1995b) Selection of a bacterium for the mass production of Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita (Nematoda: Rhabditidae) as a biocontrol agent for slugs. Fundamental and Applied Nematology 18(5), 419425.Google Scholar
Wouts, WM (1981) Mass production of the entomogenous nematode Heterorhabditis heliothidis (Nematoda: Heterorhabditidae) on artificial media. Journal of Nematology 13(4), 467469.Google ScholarPubMed
Wright, DJ (2004) Osmoregulatory and excretory behaviour. pp. 177196. In Gaugler, R and Bilgrami, AL (Eds) Nematode behaviour. Wallingford, CABI Publishing.CrossRefGoogle Scholar