Abstract
Concerns regarding the ecological and health risks posed by synthetic insecticides have instigated the exploration of alternative methods for controlling insects, such as entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) as biocontrol agents. Therefore, this review discusses their use as a potential alternative to chemical insecticides and especially focuses on the two major ones, Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae, as examples. First, this review exemplifies how B. bassiana- and M. anisopliae-based biopesticides are used in the world. Then, we discuss the mechanism of action by which EPF interacts with insects, focusing on the penetration of the cuticle and the subsequent death of the host. The interactions between EPF and the insect microbiome, as well as the enhancement of the insect immune response, are also summarized. Finally, this review presents recent research that N-glycans may play a role in eliciting an immune response in insects, resulting in the increased expression of immune-related genes and smaller peritrophic matrix pores, reducing insect midgut permeability. Overall, this paper provides an overview of the EPF in insect control and highlights the latest developments relating to the interaction between fungi and insect immunity.