Phylogenetic Analysis of Nucleotide Sequences from the ITS Region and Biological Characterization of Nematophagous Fungi from Morelos, Mexico

We determined the morphological taxonomy of eighteen nematophagous fungi (NF), as well as their in vitro predatory activity against Haemonchus contortus infective larvae (L3). Fungi were classified into six genera and three species, the most common of which were Monacrosporium eudermatum and Arthrobotrys oligospora. We then sequenced five NF isolates using ITS4 and ITS5 primers. These sequences showed high identity with sequences from the NCBI database (98-99%). In contrast, alignments among the same genera and species demonstrated 83–97% identity. Polymorphisms observed between Arthrobotrys and Monacrosporium appear to be associated with differences in biological function, nonspecific mutations, evolutionary processes, feeding behaviour, predatory activity, and microecosystems