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Viruses
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Insect Virus Discovery
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Insect Virus Discovery

A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "Insect Viruses".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 August 2022) | Viewed by 13434

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Kayvan Etebari

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Interests: insect viruses; insect pathogen discovery; host pathogen interaction
Dr. Eugene V. Ryabov

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Bee Research Laboratory, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Beltsville, MD, USA
Interests: RNA viruses of invertebrates and plants; virus discovery; virus evolution; virus-host interactions; bees
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The advent of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology has created great opportunities for novel virus discovery, enabling investigations into their diversity, their impact on hosts, and the risks they pose. Generally, our knowledge of the prevalence and biodiversity of insect-specific viruses in insect populations is very limited; this is particularly the case for those viruses that infect insects that affect agricultural crops.

To date, most research has focused on viruses affecting medically and economically important insects (such as mosquitoes and bees) and research on the use of viruses for insect pest control has focused on baculoviruses (arthropod-specific DNA viruses), while the benefits offered by other viruses in this context has received little attention or recognition. This Special Issue seeks all types of manuscripts (e.g., reviews, research articles, and short communications) that will advance our current understanding of insect-specific viruses, their diversity and interaction with hosts, and their potential as biological control agents.

Dr. Kayvan Etebari
Dr. Eugene V. Ryabov
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Viruses is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • insect viruses
  • insect DNAvirus
  • insect RNAvirus
  • biological control agent
  • insect pathogen

Published Papers (7 papers)

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14 pages, 2479 KiB  
Article
Induction of Multiple Immune Signaling Pathways in Gryllodes sigillatus Crickets during Overt Viral Infections
by Kristin R. Duffield, Bert Foquet, Judith A. Stasko, John Hunt, Ben M. Sadd, Scott K. Sakaluk and José L. Ramirez
Viruses 2022, 14(12), 2712; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/v14122712 - 03 Dec 2022
Viewed by 1744
Abstract
Despite decades of focus on crickets (family: Gryllidae) as a popular commodity and model organism, we still know very little about their immune responses to microbial pathogens. Previous studies have measured downstream immune effects (e.g., encapsulation response, circulating hemocytes) following an immune challenge [...] Read more.
Despite decades of focus on crickets (family: Gryllidae) as a popular commodity and model organism, we still know very little about their immune responses to microbial pathogens. Previous studies have measured downstream immune effects (e.g., encapsulation response, circulating hemocytes) following an immune challenge in crickets, but almost none have identified and quantified the expression of immune genes during an active pathogenic infection. Furthermore, the prevalence of covert (i.e., asymptomatic) infections within insect populations is becoming increasingly apparent, yet we do not fully understand the mechanisms that maintain low viral loads. In the present study, we measured the expression of several genes across multiple immune pathways in Gryllodes sigillatus crickets with an overt or covert infection of cricket iridovirus (CrIV). Crickets with overt infections had higher relative expression of key pathway component genes across the Toll, Imd, Jak/STAT, and RNAi pathways. These results suggests that crickets can tolerate low viral infections but can mount a robust immune response during an overt CrIV infection. Moreover, this study provides insight into the immune strategy of crickets following viral infection and will aid future studies looking to quantify immune investment and improve resistance to pathogens. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Virus Discovery)
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14 pages, 1367 KiB  
Article
First Polycipivirus and Unmapped RNA Virus Diversity in the Yellow Crazy Ant, Anoplolepis gracilipes
by Chih-Chi Lee, Hung-Wei Hsu, Chun-Yi Lin, Nicolas Gustafson, Kenji Matsuura, Chow-Yang Lee and Chin-Cheng Scotty Yang
Viruses 2022, 14(10), 2161; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/v14102161 - 30 Sep 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1833
Abstract
The yellow crazy ant, Anoplolepis gracilipes is a widespread invasive ant that poses significant threats to local biodiversity. Yet, compared to other global invasive ant species such as the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) or the Argentine ant (Linepithema [...] Read more.
The yellow crazy ant, Anoplolepis gracilipes is a widespread invasive ant that poses significant threats to local biodiversity. Yet, compared to other global invasive ant species such as the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) or the Argentine ant (Linepithema humile), little is known about the diversity of RNA viruses in the yellow crazy ant. In the current study, we generated a transcriptomic database for A. gracilipes using a high throughput sequencing approach to identify new RNA viruses and characterize their genomes. Four virus species assigned to Dicistroviridae, two to Iflaviridae, one to Polycipiviridae, and two unclassified Riboviria viruses were identified. Detailed genomic characterization was carried out on the polycipivirus and revealed that this virus comprises 11,644 nucleotides with six open reading frames. Phylogenetic analysis and pairwise amino acid identity comparison classified this virus into the genus Sopolycivirus under Polycipiviridae, which is tentatively named “Anoplolepis gracilipes virus 3 (AgrV-3)”. Evolutionary analysis showed that AgrV-3 possesses a high level of genetic diversity and elevated mutation rate, combined with the common presence of multiple viral strains within single worker individuals, suggesting AgrV-3 likely evolves following the quasispecies model. A subsequent field survey placed the viral pathogen “hotspot” of A. gracilipes in the Southeast Asian region, a pattern consistent with the region being recognized as part of the ant’s native range. Lastly, infection of multiple virus species seems prevalent across field colonies and may have been linked to the ant’s social organization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Virus Discovery)
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11 pages, 3045 KiB  
Article
Pathogenicity of La Jolla Virus in Drosophila suzukii following Oral Administration
by Yvonne Linscheid, Tobias Kessel, Andreas Vilcinskas and Kwang-Zin Lee
Viruses 2022, 14(10), 2158; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/v14102158 - 30 Sep 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1302
Abstract
Drosophila suzukii (Ds) is an invasive pest insect that causes severe and widespread damage to soft fruit crops. Chemical control based on topical insecticides is inefficient and harmful to consumers and the environment, prompting interest in the development of biological control measures such [...] Read more.
Drosophila suzukii (Ds) is an invasive pest insect that causes severe and widespread damage to soft fruit crops. Chemical control based on topical insecticides is inefficient and harmful to consumers and the environment, prompting interest in the development of biological control measures such as insect viruses with narrow host specificity. We previously described a strain of La Jolla virus (LJV) found in moribund Ds specimens in Germany. We demonstrated a pathogenic effect following the intrathoracic injection of LJV into adult Ds flies. However, the development of an effective biocontrol product based on LJV would require the characterization of (1) virulence following oral delivery, particularly in larvae, and (2) stability under different pH and temperature conditions reflecting realistic exposure scenarios. Here we describe the pathogenicity of LJV following oral delivery to Ds adults and larvae. The oral infection of Ds adults with LJV reduced survival in a concentration-dependent manner, whereas the oral infection of Ds larvae caused the arrest of development during pupation. LJV remained stable and infectious following exposure to a broad pH range and different temperatures. We, therefore, demonstrated that LJV is promising as a candidate biological control agent against Ds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Virus Discovery)
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10 pages, 1402 KiB  
Article
Discovery of a Novel Jingmenvirus in Australian Sugarcane Soldier Fly (Inopus flavus) Larvae
by Agathe M. G. Colmant, Michael J. Furlong and Kayvan Etebari
Viruses 2022, 14(6), 1140; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/v14061140 - 25 May 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1733
Abstract
In Australia, soldier flies are major pests of sugarcane, and they can cause significant yield losses in some areas, possibly due to the virus’ transmission to the plants. We sequenced fly larvae salivary glands and identified a novel jingmenvirus, putatively named Inopus flavus [...] Read more.
In Australia, soldier flies are major pests of sugarcane, and they can cause significant yield losses in some areas, possibly due to the virus’ transmission to the plants. We sequenced fly larvae salivary glands and identified a novel jingmenvirus, putatively named Inopus flavus jingmenvirus 1 (IFJV1). Phylogenetic trees confirmed that IFJV1 groups with insect-associated jingmenviruses, newly identified flavivirus-like viruses with a segmented genome. After the design and the validation of molecular detection systems for IFJV1, larval homogenates were passaged on insect and vertebrate cells, but IFJV1 could only be detected in the first two passages in insect cells and not at all in vertebrate cells. Despite this lack of consistent replication in laboratory models, this virus does replicate in its host Inopus flavus, as sequenced, small RNA from the larvae matched the IFJV1 sequences. Moreover, they were found to be predominantly 21 nucleotides long and map to the whole sequences on both strands, which is typical of an actively replicating virus. This discovery confirms the worldwide presence of jingmenviruses which, until now, had only been detected on four continents. However, the study of IFJV1 tropism and the possible pathogenicity to its host or the sugarcane it parasitizes requires the development of a stable replication model. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Virus Discovery)
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13 pages, 1630 KiB  
Article
Two Novel Iflaviruses Discovered in Bat Samples in Washington State
by Kate B. Juergens, John Huckabee and Alexander L. Greninger
Viruses 2022, 14(5), 994; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/v14050994 - 07 May 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2089
Abstract
Arthropods are integral to ecosystem equilibrium, serving as both a food source for insectivores and supporting plant reproduction. Members of the Iflaviridae family in the order Picornavirales are frequently found in RNA sequenced from arthropods, who serve as their hosts. Here we implement [...] Read more.
Arthropods are integral to ecosystem equilibrium, serving as both a food source for insectivores and supporting plant reproduction. Members of the Iflaviridae family in the order Picornavirales are frequently found in RNA sequenced from arthropods, who serve as their hosts. Here we implement a metagenomic deep sequencing approach followed by rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) on viral RNA isolated from wild and captured bat guano in Washington State at two separate time points. From these samples we report the complete genomes of two novel viruses in the family Iflaviridae. The first virus, which we call King virus, is 46% identical by nucleotide to the lethal honeybee virus, deformed wing virus, while the second virus which we call Rolda virus, shares 39% nucleotide identity to deformed wing virus. King and Rolda virus genomes are 10,183 and 8934 nucleotides in length, respectively. Given these iflaviruses were detected in guano from captive bats whose sole food source was the Tenebrio spp. mealworm, we anticipate this invertebrate may be a likely host. Using the NCBI Sequence Read Archive, we found that these two viruses are located in six continents and have been isolated from a variety of arthropod and mammalian specimens. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Virus Discovery)
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17 pages, 5243 KiB  
Article
Transcriptomics Reveal Several Novel Viruses from Canegrubs (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in Central Queensland, Australia
by Kayvan Etebari, Pauline Lenancker, Kevin S. Powell and Michael J. Furlong
Viruses 2022, 14(3), 649; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/v14030649 - 21 Mar 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2327
Abstract
Canegrubs (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) are major pests of sugarcane crops in Australia, but despite long-term and intensive research, no commercially viable biological control agents have been identified. We used the RNA-Seq approach to explore the viriomes of three different species of canegrubs from central [...] Read more.
Canegrubs (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) are major pests of sugarcane crops in Australia, but despite long-term and intensive research, no commercially viable biological control agents have been identified. We used the RNA-Seq approach to explore the viriomes of three different species of canegrubs from central Queensland, Australia to identify potential candidates for biological control. We identified six novel RNA viruses, characterized their genomes, and inferred their evolutionary relationships with other closely related viruses. These novel viruses showed similarity to other known members from picornaviruses, benyviruses, sobemoviruses, totiviruses, and reoviruses. The abundance of viral reads varied in these libraries; for example, Dermolepida albohirtum picorna-like virus (9696 nt) was built from 83,894 assembled reads while only 1350 reads mapped to Lepidiota negatoria beny-like virus (6371 nt). Future studies are essential to determine their natural incidence in different life stages of the host, biodiversity, geographical distributions, and potential as biological control agents for these important pests of sugarcane. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Virus Discovery)
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7 pages, 241 KiB  
Brief Report
Arthropod-Borne Virus Surveillance as a Tool to Study the Australian Mosquito Virome
by Agathe M. G. Colmant, David Warrilow, Sonja Hall-Mendelin, Michael Onn, Jody Hobson-Peters, Bixing Huang, Nina Kurucz, Allan Warchot, Bridgette R. Primmer, Sally Isberg, Helle Bielefeldt-Ohmann and Roy A. Hall
Viruses 2022, 14(9), 1882; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/v14091882 - 26 Aug 2022
Viewed by 1416
Abstract
Mosquitoes (n = 4381 in 198 pools) were collected in March and April 2018 to survey the presence of West Nile virus Kunjin strain in mosquito populations around crocodile farms in the Darwin region of the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia. While [...] Read more.
Mosquitoes (n = 4381 in 198 pools) were collected in March and April 2018 to survey the presence of West Nile virus Kunjin strain in mosquito populations around crocodile farms in the Darwin region of the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia. While no Kunjin virus was detected in these mosquitoes, we applied our viral replicative intermediates screening system termed monoclonal antibodies to viral RNA intermediates in cells or MAVRIC to this set of samples. This resulted in the detection of 28 pools with virus replicating in C6/36 mosquito cells and the identification of three insect viruses from three distinct virus classes. We demonstrate the persistence of the insect-specific flavivirus Palm Creek virus in Coquillettidia xanthogaster mosquitoes from Darwin over almost a decade, with limited genetic drift. We also detected a novel Hubei macula-like virus 3 strain in samples from two mosquito genera, suggesting the virus, for which the sequence was originally detected in spiders and soybean thrips, might be involved in a horizontal transmission cycle between arthropods and plants. Overall, these data demonstrate the strength of the optimized MAVRIC system and contribute to our general knowledge of the mosquito virome and insect viruses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Virus Discovery)
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