The species is named after the Italian entomologistAgostino Bassi, who discovered it in 1835 insilkworms (Bombyx mori).[3] Bassi performed the first infection experiments, and determined the fungus to be the cause of the muscardine disease, which then led to carriers transmitting it by airborne means. Later the same year, the fungus was namedBotrytis bassiana byGiuseppe Gabriel Balsamo-Crivelli.[3] The species epithet honours Bassi, the discoverer:[3]
The nameB. bassiana has long been used to describe aspecies complex of morphologically similar and closely relatedisolates. Rehner and Buckley[5] have shown thatB. bassiana consists of many distinct lineages that should be recognized as distinct phylogenetic species and the genusBeauveria was redescribed with a proposed type forB. bassiana in 2011.[6]
The species was formerly also known asTritirachium shiotae, among other synonyms.
Beauveria bassiana is theanamorph (asexually reproducing form) ofCordyceps bassiana. The latter teleomorph (the sexually reproducing form) has been collected only in eastern Asia.[7]
B. bassiana is a whitemould when grown on culture, producing whitespore balls made up of manyconidia that are single-celled,haploid, andhydrophobic.[8][9] The short, ovoid conidiogenous cells that produce the conidia have a narrow apical extension called arachis, which elongates into a long zig-zag extension.[10][9]
Theinsect disease caused by the fungus is amuscardine which has been calledwhite muscardine disease. When the microscopic spores of the fungus come into contact with the body of an insect host, they germinate, penetrate thecuticle, and grow inside, killing the insect within a matter of days. Afterwards, a white mold emerges from the cadaver and produces new spores. A typical isolate ofB. bassiana can attack a broad range of insects; various isolates differ in their host range.
A fungus attributed to beB. bassiana was observed to cause infections in a captiveAmerican alligator[12] andB. bassiana was implicated in causing apulmonary disease in captivetortoises.[13][14] Thereptiles were in captivity and under temperature stress which may explain their susceptibility to the fungus. When a tortoise was kept at 22 °C and injected with 0.5 mL of 106 spores ofB. bassiana into the lung, no mortality was observed, while a second contaminated tortoise died when kept only at 16 °C.[15]
A microevolutionary experiment in 2013 showed that the Greater wax moth (Galleria mellonella) was able to adapt its defense mechanisms during 25 generations, while being under constant selective pressure fromB. bassiana. The moth developed resistance, but apparently, at a cost.[16]
Wagner and Lewis reported the ability ofB. bassiana to grow as anendophyte in corn.[17]
The fungus rarely infects humans or other animals, so it is generally considered safe as an insecticide. However, at least one case of human infection byB. bassiana has been reported in a person with a suppressed immune system.[18] Additionally, the spores may exacerbatebreathing difficulties.
Beauveria bassiana can be used as abiological insecticide to control a number of pests such astermites,whiteflies, and many other insects. Its use in the control ofmalaria-transmittingmosquitos is under investigation.[2] As an insecticide, the spores are sprayed on affected crops as an emulsified suspension or wettable powder or applied tomosquito nets as a mosquito control agent.
As a species,B. bassiana parasitizes a very wide range of arthropod hosts. However, differentstrains vary in their host ranges, some having rather narrow ranges, like strain Bba 5653 that is very virulent to thelarvae of thediamondback moth and kills only few other types ofcaterpillars. Some strains do have a wide host range and should, therefore, be considered nonselective biological insecticides. These should not be applied to flowers visited bypollinating insects.[19] Known targets of the species include:[20][21][22]
Preliminary research has shown the fungus is 100% effective in eliminatingbed bugs exposed to cotton fabric sprayed with fungus spores. It is also effective against bed bug colonies due toB. bassiana carried by infected bugs back to their harborages. The tested strain ofB. bassiana caused rapid mortality (3–5 days) after short-term exposure.[1] In a 2017 follow-up study,pyrethroid-resistant bed bugs had >94% mortality after treatment with a commercial preparation of B. bassiana.[28]
In March 2013, genetically modifiedB. bassiana was found in a number of research laboratories and greenhouses outside of a designated containment area atLincoln University in Christchurch, New Zealand. TheMinistry for Primary Industries investigated the leak.[29] The modification only involved the addition ofmarker genes for easier detection of the fungus. It is unlikely to cause any additional harm relative to existingB. bassiana in the environment. It has also not been detected beyond the labs and greenhouses.[30]
^abcdImoulan, Abdessamad; Hussain, Muzammil; Kirk, Paul M.; Meziane, Abdellatif El; Yao, Yi-Jian (2017-12-01). "Entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria: Host specificity, ecology and significance of morpho-molecular characterization in accurate taxonomic classification".Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology.20 (4):1204–1212.doi:10.1016/J.ASPEN.2017.08.015.
^Li ZZ, Li CR, Huang B, Fan MZ (2001). "Discovery and demonstration of the teleomorph ofBeauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vuill., an important entomogenous fungus".Chinese Science Bulletin.46 (9):751–3.Bibcode:2001ChSBu..46..751L.doi:10.1007/BF03187215.S2CID94635367.
^Müller-Kögler, E. (December 1967). "Nebenwirkungen Insektenpathogener Pilze Auf Mensch und Wirbeltiere: Aktuelle Fragen".Entomophaga.12 (4):429–441.doi:10.1007/bf02376929.ISSN0013-8959.S2CID44795822.
^Gouli, Vladimir; Gouli, Svetlana; Skinner, Margaret; Hamilton, George; Kim, Jae Sue; Parker, Bruce L (February 2012). "Virulence of select entomopathogenic fungi to the brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae)".Pest Management Science.68 (2):155–157.doi:10.1002/ps.2310.PMID22223199.
^Mann, Andrew; Davis, Thomas (2020). "Plant secondary metabolites and low temperature are the major limiting T factors for Beauveria bassiana (Bals.-Criv.) Vuill. (Ascomycota: Hypocreales) growth and virulence in a bark beetle system".Biological Control.141 104130.Bibcode:2020BiolC.14104130M.doi:10.1016/j.biocontrol.2019.104130.S2CID209582862.
^Cossentine, J. E.; Judd, G. J. R.; Bissett, J. D.; Lacey, L. A. (2010-01-01). "Susceptibility of apple clearwing moth larvae, Synanthedon myopaeformis (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae) to Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium brunneum".Biocontrol Science and Technology.20 (7):703–707.Bibcode:2010BioST..20..703C.doi:10.1080/09583151003690390.ISSN0958-3157.S2CID84565528.
Prior C, Jollands P, Le Patourel G (1988). "Infectivity of oil and water formulations ofBeauveria bassiana (Deuteromycotina; Hyphomycetes) to the cocoa weevil pestPantorhytes plutus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)".Journal of Invertebrate Pathology.52 (1):66–72.doi:10.1016/0022-2011(88)90103-6.
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