Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (2002) 97, 527-530

Maria A. Ferreira de Almeida, Christopher J. Geden, Carl K. Boohene, James J. Becnel and Angelo Pires do Prado (2002)
Microsporidiosis of Tachinaephagus zealandicus Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae)
Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz 97 (4), 527-530
Abstract: An undescribed microsporidium was found infecting Tachinaephagus zealandicus, a gregarious parasitoid that attacks third instar larvae of muscoid flies. Spores were present in all body regions and in all stages of development. Infected adults contained an average of 3.75 x 10⁵ spores, and the pathogen was vertically transmitted to progeny. Infected female adults were fed either rifampicin or albendazole mixed with honey to determine the effectiveness of these drugs in preventing vertical transmission. After eight days of feeding on rifampicin the parasitoids produced progeny of which only 37% were infected. In contrast, albendazole-treated and untreated females produced progeny that were 97% and 100% infected, respectively. Healthy and infected colonies were established and studies were conducted to determine the mechanisms of transmission. It was observed that the efficiency of vertical (maternal) transmission was 96.3%. Uninfected parasitoid immatures also became infected when they shared superparasitized hosts with infected immatures. The method of transmission within superparasitized hosts is not known.
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Database assignments for author(s): Christopher J. Geden, James J. Becnel

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
general biology - morphology - evolution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
Tachinaephagus zealandicus (parasitoid)			Brazil (south)