title: Solenopsis invicta virus 3: pathogenesis and stage specificity in red imported fire ants.
abstract: Solenopsis invicta colonies were exposed to purified preparations of Solenopsis invicta virus 3 (SINV-3) to investigate virus pathogenesis at the colony level. Time course experiments revealed an infection exhibiting specificity for the adult stage (workers). SINV-3 genome and a capsid protein were increasingly present in worker ants with time. Northern blot analysis revealed two bands in RNA preparations from worker ants infected with SINV-3 corresponding to the genomic and sub-genomic species. Conversely, larval RNA preparations from SINV-3-infected colonies showed a near-complete absence of SINV-3 genome or sub-genome. The data confirm that SINV-3 is the etiological agent causing mortality among S. invicta colonies in the laboratory. We propose that SINV-3 infection somehow alters worker ant behavior, which may prevent them from acquiring and/or distributing solid food to the larvae. Consequently, larval mortality and impaired queen health occur as a result of starvation or neglect by the worker caste.
authors.affiliation: Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology, USDA-ARS, 1600 SW 23rd Drive, Gainesville, FL 32608, USA. Electronic address: steven.valles@ars.usda.gov.
authors.forename: Steven M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Valles
authors.affiliation: Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology, USDA-ARS, 1600 SW 23rd Drive, Gainesville, FL 32608, USA.
authors.forename: Sanford D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Porter
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QP, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Andrew E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Firth
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001000:Ants / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology / Q000821:virology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D007304:Insect Viruses / Q000502:physiology*; D007814:Larva / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology / Q000821:virology; D012328:RNA Viruses / Q000502:physiology*; D013045:Species Specificity
keywords: Caste; Formicidae; RNA virus; Social insect; Tropism