Transport of wild-type and recombinant nucleopolyhedroviruses by scavenging and predatory arthropods

Wild-type and recombinant nucleopolyhedroviruses (NPVs) were compared in th eir capability to be transported over limited distances by the predator Pod isus maculiventris (Say) and scavengers Sarcophaga bullata (Parker) and Ach eta domesticus (Linnaeus) in Trichoplusia ni (Hubner) larvae infesting coll ards in a greenhouse microcosm. Viruses tested were variants of Autographa californica (Speyer) NPV (AcNPV): wild-type virus (AcNPV.WT), AcNPV express ing a scorpion toxin (AcNPV.AaIT), and AcNPV expressing juvenile hormone es terase (AcJHE.SG). Podisus maculiventris transported AcNPV.WT and S. bullat a transported AcNPV.WT and AcNPV.AaIT. Prevalence and transport of AcNPV.WT were greater than those of AcNPV.AaIT and AcJHE.SG, regardless of whether the nontarget organism carriers were present or absent. Podisus maculiventr is and S. bullata transported recombinant and wild-type NPVs at a rate of u p to 62.5 cm/day, and A. domesticus transported wild-type NPV at 125 cm/day . The infected host insects, T. ni, undoubtedly contributed to viral transp ort in the current research. In every experiment, both the wild-type and re combinant virus spread to some degree in the plots without predators or sca vengers. The relative amounts of NPVs that accumulated in soil, as indicate d by bioassay mortality percentages, generally exhibited spatial patterns s imilar to those of T. ni mortality due to NPV on the collards plants. Thus, the predator and scavengers in the current research demonstrated some capa city to transport wild-type as well as recombinant viruses at significant r ates in a greenhouse microcosm.