title: Imperfection works: Survival, transmission and persistence in the system of Heliothis virescens ascovirus 3h (HvAV-3h), Microplitis similis and Spodoptera exigua.
abstract: Ascoviruses are insect-specific large DNA viruses that mainly infect noctuid larvae, and are transmitted by parasitoids in the fields. Heliothis virescens ascovirus 3h (HvAV-3h) has been recently isolated from Spodoptera exigua, without parasitoid vector identified previously. Here we report that Microplitis similis, a solitary endoparasitoid wasp, could transmit HvAV-3h between S. exigua larvae in the laboratory. When the female parasitoid wasp acquired the virus and served as a vector, the period of virion viability on the ovipositor was 4.1 ± 1.4 days. Infected host larvae were still acceptable for egg laying by parasitoids, and the parasitoids thereafter transmitted virus to healthy hosts. Virus acquisition occurred only from donor hosts between 3 and 9 days post infection. The peak of virus acquisition (80.9 ± 6.3%) was found when M. similis wasps oviposited in larvae that had been inoculated with the virus 7 days previously. When virus infection of the host took place during the life cycle of the parasitoid wasp, it caused 1- to 4-day-old immature parasitoids death in the host, whilst a small proportion of 5- to 6-day-old and the majority of 7-day-old parasitoids larvae survived from the virus-infected hosts. Viral contamination did not reduce the life span or fecundity of female M. similis.
authors.affiliation: Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Biology and Control of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan 410128, China.|Institute of Virology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan 410128, China.
authors.forename: Shun-Ji
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Kent ME4 4TB, UK.
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Hopkins
authors.affiliation: Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Biology and Control of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan 410128, China.|Institute of Virology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan 410128, China.
authors.forename: Yi-Pei
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Biology and Control of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan 410128, China.|Institute of Virology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan 410128, China.
authors.forename: Yun-Xuan
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Biology and Control of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan 410128, China.|Institute of Virology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan 410128, China.
authors.forename: Jue
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Biology and Control of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan 410128, China.|Institute of Virology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan 410128, China.
authors.forename: Xu-Yang
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Biology and Control of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan 410128, China.|Institute of Virology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan 410128, China.
authors.forename: Zhi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Biology and Control of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan 410128, China.|Institute of Virology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan 410128, China.
authors.forename: Guo-Hua
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D029223:Ascoviridae / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D007303:Insect Vectors; D007814:Larva / Q000469:parasitology / Q000821:virology; D008018:Life Cycle Stages; D008297:Male; D010058:Oviposition; D018411:Spodoptera / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000821:virology*; D013696:Temperature; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000635:transmission*; D014863:Wasps / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000821:virology*