Detection of Mattesia oryzaephili (Neogregarinorida: Lipotrophidae) in grain beetle laboratory colonies with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

An indirect sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of the neogregarine Mattesia oryzaephili was developed with monoclonal antibodies. It was used to screen laboratory colonies of Oryzaephilus surinamensis, Cryptolestes ferrugineus, C. pusillus, and C. turcicus from the United States, Canada, and Australia. All of the colonies except C. turcicus had larvae that tested positive with the percent of positives ranging from 0.2 to 83.9, but only colonies that tested positive had reported population declines. This assay will make possible epizootiological studies to assess the impact of M. oryzaephili on pest populations.