Efficacy of Plant-Derived Fungicides at Inhibiting Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans Growth

Tompros, Adrianna, Wilber, Mark Q, Fenton, Andy ORCID: 0000-0002-7676-917X, Carter, Edward Davis and Gray, Matthew J (2022) Efficacy of Plant-Derived Fungicides at Inhibiting Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans Growth. JOURNAL OF FUNGI, 8 (10). 1025-.

Access the full-text of this item by clicking on the Open Access link.

Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/jof8101025

Abstract

The emerging fungal amphibian pathogen, Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal), is currently spreading across Europe and given its estimated invasion potential, has the capacity to decimate salamander populations worldwide. Fungicides are a promising in situ management strategy for Bsal due to their ability to treat the environment and infected individuals. However, antifungal drugs or pesticides could adversely affect the environment and non-target hosts, thus identifying safe, effective candidate fungicides for in situ treatment is needed. Here, we estimated the inhibitory fungicidal efficacy of five plant-derived fungicides (thymol, curcumin, allicin, 6-gingerol, and Pond Pimafix®) and one chemical fungicide (Virkon® Aquatic) against Bsal zoospores in vitro. We used a broth microdilution method in 48-well plates to test the efficacy of six concentrations per fungicide on Bsal zoospore viability. Following plate incubation, we performed cell viability assays and agar plate growth trials to estimate the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) of each fungicide. All six fungicides exhibited inhibitory and fungicidal effects against Bsal growth, with estimated MIC concentrations ranging from 60 to 0.156 μg/mL for the different compounds. Allicin showed the greatest efficacy (i.e., lowest MIC and MFC) against Bsal zoospores followed by curcumin, Pond Pimafix®, thymol, 6-gingerol, and Virkon® Aquatic, respectively. Our results provide evidence that plant-derived fungicides are effective at inhibiting and killing Bsal zoospores in vitro and may be useful for in situ treatment. Additional studies are needed to estimate the efficacy of these fungicides at inactivating Bsal in the environment and treating Bsal-infected amphibians.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans, antifungal, plant-derived, amphibian, salamander, zoospore, minimum inhibitory concentration, minimum fungicidal concentration
Divisions:	Faculty of Health and Life Sciences Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	24 Jan 2023 14:57
Last Modified:	06 Oct 2023 06:55
DOI:	10.3390/jof8101025
Open Access URL:	https://doi.org/10.3390/jof8101025
Related URLs:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3167859