Fig 7. Virulence of B. bassiana wild type and mutant strains and insect immune responses.

A, B. Survival trends and calculated LT₅₀ values using G. mellonella larvae after topical application and intrahemocoel injection of conidial suspension. P < 0.05* or 0.01** in a log rank test. C. Symptoms of G. mellonella larvae infected by indicated strains and fungal outgrowth on cadavers at indicated time points. D. Microscopic images (scale: 5 μm) of fungal development and insect immune responses at indicated time points after injection. Arrows indicate fungal cells (hyphal bodies, HBs). E. Quantification of fungal biomass in hemolymph samples at 36, 48 and 60 h after injection as determined using qPCR analysis. Error bars: SDs. Different letters in A, B and E indicate significant differences (P < 0.01 in LSD test).