Overview of nematophagous fungi, isolation techniques, and their role in biological control of helminthic parasites: A literature review

Abstract

Nematophagous fungi are natural predators of soil-dwelling nematodes and can detect and respond to their prey's ascarosides pheromones. They can be endoparasitic, nematode-trapping, egg-parasitic, or toxin-producing depending on how they attack worms. They are found throughout the world in a wide range of habitats and climates, but few are from extreme environments. They are mostly concentrated in the upper part of the soil, in pastures, leaf litter, mangroves, and certain shallow aquatic habitats. They use methods including non-constricting loops, adhesive hyphal strands, adhesive knobs, adhesive nets made of hyphal threads, and hyphae loops that tighten around caught worms. There are numerous advantages for the ecology and economy that come from nematophagous fungi in the soil. They help promote the cycling of nutrients and stabilize soil ecosystems. They are also used to protect plants and animals from nematode disease and avoid drug resistance. However, there is no comprehensive review assessing the above roles and, therefore, this review intended to assess the general overview of nematophagous fungi, their agroecology, isolation and identification, and their role in biological control of helminthic parasites.