Effect of serial transfer of three strains of Paecilomyces fumosoroseus on growth in vitro, virulence, and host specificity

Serial passage of entomopathogenic Hyphomycetes has been shown to alter virulence and host specificity. We evaluated virulence, host specificity, biomass production, conidiation, conidial germination, and a genetic fingerprint of 3 strains of Paecilomyces fumosoroseus after passage in vitro or in vivo in Diuraphis noxia or Plutella xylostella. Strain 4461 did not change in virulence toward D. noxia or P. xylostella after 30 passages in vitro nor after 15 passages in D. noxia. However, it lost virulence toward D. noxia after 15 passages in P. xylostella and did not regain virulence after 5 passages in D. noxia. Passage in D. noxia did result in a loss in conidiation for strain 4461, and passage in vitro resulted in a reduction in the speed of germination. Strain 4481 was the least variable and did not change in any of our tests. Strain 4491 did not change in virulence after passage in vitro nor after passage in D. noxia. It lost virulence toward D. noxia after passage in P. xylostella but regained virulence after re-passage in D. noxia. Mycelial dry weight and conidiation were both reduced after passage in vitro, but were increased after passage in D. noxia. These two traits did not change after passage in P. xylostella. Germination speed was reduced after in vitro passage of strain 4491. No change in banding pattern was observed for any strain using 14 primers for RAPD-PCR. These results demonstrate the intraspecific variability and phenotypic plasticity of strains of P. fumosoroseus. Stability of virulence after in vitro passage is clearly a desirable trait for a mass-produced biocontrol agent. However, a change in host specificity or productivity in vitro, as we observed for some strains, must be monitored and minimized.