Fungi: Mosquito Larvicide

The use of Entomopathogenic fungi (Zygomycetes,Ascomcetes and Basidiomycetes) against mosquito larvae is one of the best environment friendly ways to eradicate Arthropods that cause a menace in the society. While most of us turn to chemical insecticides to destroy mosquitoes, these chemical agents have been known to cause allergic reactions in some and are simply harmful to others. Thus the use of Entomopathogenic fungi as a biological control agent should be brought in to use at a more commercial scale because of its target specific activity and as it is relatively safer than the commercially available synthetic biocontrol agents. This review elaborates on the mosquito larvicide activity of three phyla of fungi namely Zygomycota, Ascomycota and Basidiomycota. Mosquitoes not only cause irritable bites but are a major cause of spread of lethal diseases like Dengue, Chikungunya, Malaria, Filariasis, etc. In a developing country like India where at certain places there is low sanitation problem mosquito borne diseases are major threats. Almost 40 anopheline species have been reported for the cause of human malarial vector worldwide. (Mouatcho, 2010) The use of entomopathogenic fungi as mosquito larvicide would help prevent the spread at an early stage and would be a cost effective preventive measure too.