Biological activity of Paecilomyces genus against Toxocara canis eggs

Saprophytic soil fungi can exert ovicidal and ovistatic effects on helminth s with differing degrees of efficiency. The representatives of such fungi f rom temperate regions, Paecilomyces lilacinus (Thom) Samson and P. marquand ii (Masse) Hughes, exhibit recognized ovicidal activity on some nematodes. We evaluated the action in vitro of P. lilacinus and P. marquandii on the z oonotic canine roundworm eggs of Toxocara canis. Eggs exposed and unexposed to fungal samples were observed by both light and scanning electron micros copy on days 4, 7 and 14 post-inoculation. Ovicidal activity of P. lilacinu s on T. canis eggs was considered to be high and that of P. marquandii to b e intermediate.