METARHIZIUM SPORE SURFACE-ANTIGENS ARE CORRELATED WITH PATHOGENICITY

An antiserum produced to intact spores of an isolate of Metarhizium ar zisopliae (DAT F-001), which is pathogenic to Adoryphorus couloni, was used to determine the ELISA-index (DAS-ELISA) of 49 isolates of M. an isopliae. The ELISA-index gave a measure of the level of spore surface antigens present in spore populations of each isolate. The virulence of the 49 isolates was determined by bioassay and ranged from non-path ogenic to highly virulent. The virulence of the isolates was correlate d with the ELISA-index. We suggest that the spore surface antigens of M. anisopliae are the primary determinant of host-specificity.