Laboratory evaluation of extenders for the noninclusion virus of the citrus red mite

Since the noninclusion virus of Panonychus citri rapidly becomes inactivated after aqueous application to fruits or foliage, aqueous suspensions were prepared with a variety of extenders and tested in the laboratory. Materials high in carbohydrates extended activity beyond the normal 2–6 hr and extracted body fluids of larvae and pupae of Trichoplusia ni extended it as much as 144 hr.     

Effects of temperature on virus-host relationships and on activity of the noninclusion virus of citrus red mites, Panonychus citri

The nonoccluded virus of citrus red mite retained full infectivity when exposed to 40.5°C for 24 hr within intact mite bodies but was inactivated at 46°C for 6 hr and 60°C for 1 hr. Exposures to 38°C for 28 days failed to destroy infectivity. Virus inoculated mites exposed to different temperature regimens had shortened periods of lethal infection at high temperatures and greatly lengthened periods of lethal infection at cool temperatures suggesting that failures in mite control by virus in the early spring and late fall may be due to previously unrecognized temperature relationships.     

自同安钮夜蛾幼虫分离的一种核型多角体病毒

对在林间导致同安钮夜蛾Anua indiscriminate Moore幼虫死亡的一种病原物进行了分离和鉴定,并对该病原物进行了室内毒力测定。结果表明：该病原物为核型多角体病毒, 定名为同安钮夜蛾核型多角体病毒(AiNPV)。其对同安钮夜蛾幼虫的致死浓度LC₅₀和LC₉₀分别为3.4×10⁴和3.8×10⁷ PIB/mL。     

Fine structure of the corpus allatum of the female blow-fly Calliphora erythrocephala

Summary An electron microscopical study of the corpus allatum (CA) of the adult female Calliphora was undertaken.The cells have a very irregular shape. Light and dark cells are found. Mitochondria occur in great numbers. Microtubules are frequently observed. Free ribosomes are plenty, but rough-surfaced reticulum is scarce. Golgi complexes are not very conspicuous. Axons, mostly containing neurosecretory granules, are frequently found between the cells.The active corpus allatum is remarkable by the numerous lipid droplets and the abundance of tubular agranular reticulum. The reticulum sometimes forms aggregates from which vacuoles are budded off. The vacuoles lose their membrane, at the same time becoming slightly electron opaque, thus being transformed into lipid droplets.It is tentatively postulated that the hormone (or a precursor) is synthesized in the tubules of the agranular reticulum, collected in the vacuoles, and, when the membrane disintegrates, it is dissolved in lipid. The lipid droplets are thought to be released into the haemolymph through the surface of the gland or via intercellular channels.The inactive corpus allatum of the six days old sugar fed flies is small and more or less shrunken. The agranular reticulum is poorly developed, vacuoles are small, and lipid droplets few. The reticulum tends to form whorls, which eventually may possibly be transformed into myelin figures.We wish to express our gratitude to the Danish Natural Science Research Council for placing a Zeiss electron microscope at our disposal, and to the Carlsberg Foundation for supporting our work with grants. We are grateful to Prof. C. Overgaard Nielsen for laboratory facilities, and we are indebted to Mrs. Eva Jensen for her skilful technical assistance.     

A bacterially produced virus enhancing factor from an entomopoxvirus enhances nucleopolyhedrovirus infection in armyworm larvae

Using an Escherichia coli expression system, pGEX-2T, that expresses foreign sequences as fusion proteins with a glutathione S-transferase (GST) carrier, we have expressed a virus enhancing factor (EF) from Pseudaletia separata entomopoxvirus, which enhances P. unipuncta multi nucleopolyhedrovirus (PsunMNPV) infection in larvae of the armyworm, P. separata. The lysates of transformed E. coli cells, which were not active in enhancing PsunMNPV infection, became active when treated with either trypsin or thrombin. The GST-EF fusion protein in a lysate was purified with a bulk GST purification module and cleaved into the EF and GST moieties with thrombin. Removal of the GST moiety with glutathione-Sepharose 4B resulted in a highly purified EF preparation, which enhanced PsunMNPV infection in armyworm larvae and PsunMNPV fusion with an armyworm cell line, SIE-MSH-805-F.     

Dengue virus detection in Aedes aegypti larvae from southeastern Brazil

The transmission of dengue, the most important arthropod‐borne viral disease in Brazil, has been intensified over the past decades, along with the accompanying expansion and adaptation of its Aedes vectors. In the present study, we mapped dengue vectors in Ouro Preto and Ouro Branco, Minas Gerais, by installing ovitraps in 32 public schools. The traps were examined monthly between September, 2011 through July, 2012 and November, 2012 to April, 2013. The larvae were reared until the fourth stadium and identified according to species. The presence of dengue virus was detected by real time PCR and agarose gel electrophoresis. A total of 1,945 eggs was collected during the 17 months of the study. The Ovitrap Positivity Index (OPI) ranged from 0 to 28.13% and the Eggs Density Index (EDI) ranged from 0 to 59.9. The predominant species was Aedes aegypti, with 84.9% of the hatched larvae. Although the collection was low when compared to other ovitraps studies, vertical transmission could be detected. Of the 54 pools, dengue virus was detected in four Ae. aegypti pools.