title: Host specificity and colony impacts of the fire ant pathogen, Solenopsis invicta virus 3.
abstract: An understanding of host specificity is essential before pathogens can be used as biopesticides or self-sustaining biocontrol agents. In order to define the host range of the recently discovered Solenopsis invicta virus 3 (SINV-3), we exposed laboratory colonies of 19 species of ants in 14 genera and 4 subfamilies to this virus. Despite extreme exposure during these tests, active, replicating infections only occurred in Solenopsis invicta Buren and hybrid (S. invicta×S. richteri) fire ant colonies. The lack of infections in test Solenopsis geminata fire ants from the United States indicates that SINV-3 is restricted to the saevissima complex of South American fire ants, especially since replicating virus was also found in several field-collected samples of the black imported fire ant, Solenopsis richteri Forel. S. invicta colonies infected with SINV-3 declined dramatically with average brood reductions of 85% or more while colonies of other species exposed to virus remained uninfected and healthy. The combination of high virulence and high host specificity suggest that SINV-3 has the potential for use as either a biopesticide or a self-sustaining biocontrol agent.
authors.affiliation: Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology, USDA-ARS, 1600 SW 23rd Drive, Gainesville, FL 32608, USA. sanford.porter@ars.usda.gov
authors.forename: Sanford D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Porter
authors.forename: Steven M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Valles
authors.forename: David H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Oi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001000:Ants / Q000821:virology*; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D007304:Insect Viruses / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology*; D010572:Pest Control, Biological; D011157:Population Dynamics; D013045:Species Specificity; D014774:Virulence
keywords: Biocontrol; Formicidae; Hymenoptera; Picornavirales; Positive-strand RNA virus; Red imported fire ant