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The aim of this study was to test the ovicidal effect ofMetarhizium brunneumonAscaridia gallieggs and the protease activity ofM. brunneumgrown on standard media enriched withA. gallieggs.Ascaridia gallieggs were transferred to water agar plates and the fungus,M. brunneum, was added as a spore suspension. The viability of the eggs was assessed at 7, 14, 21 and 28 days post-inoculation.M. brunneumwas grown on three types of growth media: SDA, SDA + chitin and SDA +A. gallieggs. Crude extract of the fungus was produced by mincing and centrifuging biomass taken from the growth plate. The supernatant was added to Azurine cross-linked-casein plates to test for protease activity.M. brunneumshowed a significant impact on the viability ofA. gallieggs, decreasing the percentage of viable eggs to 5.1%, indicating that it is a potential candidate for biological control of this nematode. Crude extract ofM. brunneumgrown on SDA +A. gallieggs showed a significantly higher protease activity than the crude extract ofM. brunneumgrown on SDA alone andM. brunneumgrown on SDA + chitin, indicating a possible ovicidal effect of these proteases. Such an extract may have potential as a safe and reliable method for nematode control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]