Absence of obvious short term impact of the nematode-trapping fungus Duddingtonia flagrans on survival and growth of the earthworm Aporrectodea longa

Tho nematode-trapping fungus L Duddingtonia/flagrans may be used in biologi cal control of parasitic nematode larvae in faeces of domestic host animals after feeding the hosts with fungal chlamydospores. In this experiment a p ossible undesirable fungal impact on earthworms, of the species Aporrectode a longa, was investigated. As earthworms cat animal faeces, D. flagrans may come into contact with earthworms both in their alimentary tract and on th eir body surface. However during the experimental period of 20 days, when e arthworms were living in soil and eating cattle faeces that were heavily in fested with viable chlamydospores of D. flagrans there were no indications of internal or external mycosis among the earthworms.