The aim of the current study was to investigate the entomopathogenic capacity of the mold Fusarium verticillioides and the effect of its mycotoxins fumonisins, on the grain beetle Sitophilus zeamais. We evaluated the capacity of this fungus to infect live insects, the antifungal activity of constituents of the insect’s epicuticle, and the effect of a fumonisin extract on the fitness of the insects. We found that F. verticillioides could not penetrate the cuticle of S. zeamais and that the fumonisin extract had no negative effects on the fitness of the insects. However, the progeny of the insects increased, and the fumonisin extract had repellent effects. This is the first report about the effects of fumonisins on the relationship between F. verticillioides and S. zeamais, which may provide useful information about interactions between pathogenic microorganisms and insects, especially on stored product pests.

本研究的目的是研究霉菌镰刀菌的昆虫致病能力及其霉菌毒素伏马菌素对玉米甲虫Sitophilus zeamais的影响。我们评估了这种真菌感染活昆虫的能力，昆虫表皮成分的抗真菌活性以及伏马菌素提取物对昆虫适应性的影响。我们发现F. verticillioides不能穿透玉米链霉菌的表皮伏马菌素提取物对昆虫的健康没有负面影响。但是，昆虫的后代增加了，伏马菌素提取物具有驱避作用。这是一个关于伏马毒素对之间的关系的影响的第一份报告F.轮枝和玉米象，其可以提供关于病原微生物和昆虫之间的相互作用有用的信息，特别是对存储的产品害虫。