Bioassay of several baculoviruses for virus-induced mortality in Manduca sexta larvae and induction of infection-specific protein

Abstract

Neonate larvae of Monduca sexta were tested for susceptibility to five nuclear polyhedrosis viruses and three granulosis viruses using a droplet feeding assay. Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus (AcMNPV) and Erinnyis ello granulosis virus (EeGV) were found to infect and kill M. sexta larvae, with observed median survival times (ST50) of 94.6 ± 1.7 (SE) and 184.7 ± 24.3 (SE) hr, respectively. M. sexta larvae were also infected with EeGV late in the third instar, bled 8 and 11 days later, and their hemolymph was examined by SDS-PAGE for viral infection-specific proteins. The EeGV-infected larvae showed the presence of an infection-specific protein of molecular weight ca. 33kDa. Copyright © 1994 Academic Press. All rights reserved.