A rapidly progressing, deadly disease of Actias selene (Indianmoonmoth) larvae associated with a mixed bacterial and baculoviral infection.
The outbreak of an infectious disease in captive-bred Lepidoptera can cause death of all the caterpillars within days. A mixed baculoviral-bacterial infection observed among Actias selene (Hubner 1807), the Indian moon moth (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Saturniidae), larvae was characterized and followed by a photographic documentation of the disease progression. The etiological agents were determined using mass spectrometry and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). It appeared that the disease was caused by a mixed infection of larvae with a baculovirus and Morganella morganii. A molecular phylogenetic analysis of the virus and microbiological description of the pathogenic bacterium are presented.
Department of Molecular Biology, Division of Biology, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308, Gdansk, Poland, marta.a.skowron@gmail.com.
Marta A
MA
Skowron
Beata
B
Guzow-Krzemińska
Sylwia
S
Barańska
Paulina
P
Jędrak
Grzegorz
G
Węgrzyn
D000818:Animals; D016367:Baculoviridae / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001483:Base Sequence; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D007814:Larva / Q000382:microbiology / Q000821:virology; D020613:Morganella morganii / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D009036:Moths / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000821:virology*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004279:DNA, Viral