Acquisition, persistence, and species susceptibility of the Hz-2V virus. Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • Hz-2V, formerly called gonad-specific virus, is known to infect the reproductive organs of both males and females of the corn earworm Helicoverpa zea, rendering them agonadal or sterile. The primary mode of transmission is through mating by asymptomatic carrier moths. In this report we show that Hz-2V can be acquired by first instar larvae, through feeding on virus laced diet, although the incidence of agonadal condition was significantly lower. In a laboratory study, the virus appeared to persist for no more than three generations, with the incidence of agonadal progeny decreasing with each generation. Although, Hz-2V has been reported only from H. zea, in our tests when nine species of insects were artificially infected, four of the Noctuid species showed some signs of agonadal condition. Out of the remaining five species, the diamondback moth Plutella xylostella and the German cockroach Blatella germanica, showed no evidence of the virus in progeny of adults that were injected with Hz-2V, even after using the very sensitive PCR based assay.

published proceedings

  • J Invertebr Pathol

altmetric score

  • 6

author list (cited authors)

  • Raina, A. K., & Lupiani, B.

citation count

  • 4

complete list of authors

  • Raina, Ashok K||Lupiani, Blanca

publication date

  • October 2006