L. (Liljana) Georgievska: “On the competitive fitness of baculoviruses in insects”

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12 Oct 2009 13:30
Unit: Wageningen University
Location: Aula, building 362, Gen. Foulkesweg 1, Wageningen
Organisation: Wageningen University
Promotor: prof.dr. J.M. Vlak (Virology)
Co Promotor: Dr.ir. W. van der Werf

 Baculoviruses have been used as commercial biopesticides to control insect pests for many years. Mixed infections of baculoviruses in insect hosts are quite common in nature. This leads to ‘within-host’ and ‘between-host’ competition between virus variants. We investigated baculovirus fitness parameters in single and mixed infection of insect larvae, in single and serial passage experiments in lepidopteran hosts (Helicoverpa armigera, Spodoptera exiqua and Trichoplusia ni) in laboratory, greenhouse and field settings. Reduction of ‘between host’ transmission was recorded when H. armigera larvae were co-infected with HaSNPV-wt and HaSNPV-AaIT. Serial passage experiments with S. exigua and T. ni showed positive selection for wild type SeMNPV and AcMNPV over genetically modified variants (Δegt, + AaIT in the case of SeMNPV, and Δegt in the case of AcMNPV) over passages. These findings can help to understand long-term dynamics of virus genotypes in virus-insect-host plant systems.
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