Evidence of intracolony transmission of Thelohania solenopsae (Microsporidia: Thelohaniidae) in red imported fire ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and the first report of spores from pupae.
Red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, colonies were infected horizontally by introducing live brood (mainly larvae and pupae) infected with Thelohania solenopsae. Live, infected brood introduced into uninfected colonies were adopted and raised to adulthood instead of being executed by the recipient colony. Introductions of infected larvae with uninfected pupae, which eclose into adult worker caste fire ants, resulted in an 80% infection rate of the inoculated colonies. Infections from introductions of infected pupae with uninfected larvae resulted in a 37.5% infection of inoculated colonies. Infections were also detected in 11.6 and 3.7% of the adult worker caste ants that eclosed from uninfected large larvae and pupae, respectively, that were held with infected adult workers. Microscopic examination of infected brood revealed sporoblasts and large numbers of spores of T. solenopsae in S. invicta pupae.
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USDA-ARS Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology, 1600 SW 23rd Drive, Gainesville, Florida 32608, USA. doi@gainesville.usda.ufl.edu
Becnel
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Williams
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D000818:Animals; D001000:Ants / Q000469:parasitology*; D005260:Female; D007814:Larva; D016814:Microsporidia / Q000502:physiology*; D011679:Pupa