Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: MAHARA GABRIELLE BARBOSA DIOGENES

EFFECT OF THE ANTIBIOTIC AZITHROMYCIN ON THE DEVELOPMENT CYCLE OF Chrysomya megacephala (DIPTERA: CALLIPHORIDAE) AND EVALUATION OF A NEW DIET FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SPECIES IN THE LABORATORY

Forensic entomology, Azithromycin, cadaverous entomofauna, Dipteros creation, Bionomy.

In the wake of the pandemic scenario that unfolded in 2020, 2021, and still in 2022, the antibiotic azithromycin was used as one of the items in the "COVID kit," widely employed during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to analyze the effects of the antibiotic azithromycin on the development of Chrysomya megacephala, as well as to evaluate and propose a new diet for the maintenance of this species in the laboratory. Methodology: To achieve the first objective, 200 eggs were used for each treatment, kept in insectary and reared in plastic containers containing raw ground beef supplemented with azithromycin at three concentrations: D1 (30μl), D2 (60μl), and D3 (120μl). Monitoring was conducted every six hours, observing the inhibition of emergence, duration of each stage, and measurements of mass and size. For the second objective, 10 diets were compared: eight types of wet sachet foods for pets, one of raw ground beef, and one artificial diet using brewer's yeast, powdered milk, and lactose powder. 100 eggs of C. megacephala were added to 120g of each diet, and monitoring was conducted every 12 hours, observing the inhibition of emergence, duration of each phase, and measurement of mass and size. Bromatological and organoleptic analyses of the diets were also performed. The assays were performed in triplicate. Results and discussion: Was found that individuals in contact with azithromycin exhibited greater mass and size, especially in the larval phase. Regarding emergence inhibition, treatments D2 and D3 showed lower rates, at 7.56% and 27.73%, respectively. Group D1 recorded the highest inhibition rate, at 64.71%. The duration of the cycle in the azithromycin treatments showed a 6-hour advancement in the larval period compared to the control, following the same trend in the pupal period. Emergence was also observed 24 hours earlier than the control group, in all concentrations. Regarding the evaluated diets, the assays are still being finalized. Bromatological analyses show that the already-used diet contains approximately 7.14% protein. Following the same analyses, the two sachets that presented the highest percentage of proteins were from the Whiskas brand, lamb flavor (9.56%), and chicken (9.41%). The third was from the GranPlus brand, chicken flavor, for dogs (9.30%). Conclusion: It was observed that azithromycin caused a distinct development from the control, both in the larval, pupal cycle, and emergence, positively influencing the gain in mass and size of the larvae.