Identifying T.cylindrosporum in Australia

There are several species of fungi that can infect and kill insects, A Review of Sheep Blowfly Pathogen Control (ON-00620) identified one species, Tolypocladium cylindrosporum as capable of killing the Australian sheep blowfly, Lucilia cuprina. It acts by killing larvae and pupa in the soil and hence it could have the potential to be developed as a novel biocontrol agent to combat flystrike. This project genetically screened samples of fresh soil from several sheep properties in Victoria and Tasmania, using DNA isolation and sequencing to confirm if T. cylindrosporum is present in Australian sheep producing areas. Whilst it was not identified on those properties, the researchers did not rule out the presence of the fungus in Australia.