title: Natural aquatic insect carriers of Macrobrachium rosenbergii nodavirus (MrNV) and extra small virus (XSV).
abstract: Five different species of aquatic insects were collected from nursery ponds containing the freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii infected with Macrobrachium rosenbergii nodavirus (MrNV) and extra small virus (XSV). The insects were screened as potential natural carriers of MrNV and XSV. RT-PCR (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) analysis gave positive results for MrNV and XSV in Belostoma sp., Aesohna sp., Cybister sp. and Notonecta sp., and negative results for Nepa sp. An Aedes albopictus mosquito cell line (C6/36) was used for infectivity assays, with viral inoculum prepared from the aquatic insects, since C6/36 cells have recently been shown to be susceptible to infection with MrNV and XSV. The C6/36 cells were harvested 4 d post-challenge for examination by electron microscopy. This revealed aggregation of viral particles throughout the cytoplasm for cells challenged with inocula from all the insect species except Nepa sp. Our results indicate that several aquatic insect species may present a risk for MrNV and XSV transmission to M. rosenbergii.
authors.affiliation: Aquaculture Biotechnology Division, Department of Zoology, C. Abdul Hakeem College, Melvisharam 632 509, Vellore Dt, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sudhakaran
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Haribabu
authors.forename: S Rajesh
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sarathi
authors.forename: V P Ishaq
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.forename: V Sarath
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Babu
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Venkatesan
authors.forename: A S Sahul
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Hameedl
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005618:Fresh Water; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000821:virology*; D007313:Insecta / Q000821:virology*; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D030381:Nodaviridae / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D033541:Palaemonidae / Q000821:virology*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D018406:Virus Physiological Phenomena; D014780:Viruses / Q000302:isolation & purification*