scholarly journals Modification of a Pollen Trap Design To Capture Airborne Conidia of Entomophaga maimaiga and Detection of Conidia by Quantitative PCR

2017 ◽  
Vol 83 (17) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tonya D. Bittner ◽  
Ann E. Hajek ◽  
Andrew M. Liebhold ◽  
Harold Thistle
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Pcr ◽  
Gypsy Moth ◽  
Lymantria Dispar ◽  
Fungal Pathogen ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
The United States ◽  
Trap Design ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Entomophaga Maimaiga ◽  
Airborne Conidia

ABSTRACT The goal of this study was to develop effective and practical field sampling methods for quantification of aerial deposition of airborne conidia of Entomophaga maimaiga over space and time. This important fungal pathogen is a major cause of larval death in invasive gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) populations in the United States. Airborne conidia of this pathogen are relatively large (similar in size to pollen), with unusual characteristics, and require specialized methods for collection and quantification. Initially, dry sampling (settling of spores from the air onto a dry surface) was used to confirm the detectability of E. maimaiga at field sites with L. dispar deaths caused by E. maimaiga, using quantitative PCR (qPCR) methods. We then measured the signal degradation of conidial DNA on dry surfaces under field conditions, ultimately rejecting dry sampling as a reliable method due to rapid DNA degradation. We modified a chamber-style trap commonly used in palynology to capture settling spores in buffer. We tested this wet-trapping method in a large-scale (137-km) spore-trapping survey across gypsy moth outbreak regions in Pennsylvania undergoing epizootics, in the summer of 2016. Using 4-day collection periods during the period of late instar and pupal development, we detected variable amounts of target DNA settling from the air. The amounts declined over the season and with distance from the nearest defoliated area, indicating airborne spore dispersal from outbreak areas. IMPORTANCE We report on a method for trapping and quantifying airborne spores of Entomophaga maimaiga, an important fungal pathogen affecting gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) populations. This method can be used to track dispersal of E. maimaiga from epizootic areas and ultimately to provide critical understanding of the spatial dynamics of gypsy moth-pathogen interactions.

Isolation and characterization of Entomophaga maimaiga sp. nov., a fungal pathogen of gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar, from Japan

1988 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 229-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard S. Soper ◽  
Mitsuaki Shimazu ◽  
Richard A. Humber ◽  
Mark E. Ramos ◽  
Ann E. Hajek
Keyword(s):  
Gypsy Moth ◽  
Lymantria Dispar ◽  
Fungal Pathogen ◽  
Isolation And Characterization ◽  
Entomophaga Maimaiga

Interactions between the introduced fungal pathogen Entomophaga maimaiga and indigenous tachinid parasitoids of gypsy moth Lymantria dispar in Bulgaria

2012 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 125-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgi Georgiev ◽  
Zdravko Hubenov ◽  
Margarita Georgieva ◽  
Plamen Mirchev ◽  
Maria Matova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gypsy Moth ◽  
Lymantria Dispar ◽  
Fungal Pathogen ◽  
Entomophaga Maimaiga

Types of spores produced by Entomophaga maimaiga infecting the gypsy moth Lymantria dispar

1996 ◽  
Vol 74 (5) ◽  
pp. 708-715 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann E. Hajek ◽  
Mitsuaki Shimazu
Keyword(s):  
Gypsy Moth ◽  
Lymantria Dispar ◽  
Fungal Pathogen ◽  
Fungal Spores ◽  
Serial Passage ◽  
Molting Cycle ◽  
Resting Spore ◽  
Entomophaga Maimaiga ◽  
Resting Spores ◽  
Study Support

We investigated the association of environmental factors (temperature, photoperiod, host molting status) and fungal factors (isolate, dose, strain attenuation) with the production of conidia versus resting spores by the entomopathogenic fungus Entomophaga maimaiga infecting the larvae of the gypsy moth Lymantria dispar. Fungal spores produced from individual cadavers of larvae killed by E. maimaiga can include conidia discharged from the cadaver surface, resting spores (azygospores) within the cadaver, or both spore types. The single factor having the greatest impact on the type of spore produced was host age; second instars virtually never contained resting spores, independent of temperature, while fifth instar cadavers contained resting spores more frequently at higher temperatures. However, there was increased conidiation at lower temperatures. Photoperiod was the only factor studied that did not significantly influence the type of spore produced. Resting spore production was negatively associated with the molting cycle; cadavers of those larvae that molted or exhibited premolt characteristics during the period between infection and death contained fewer resting spores. Increased fungal dose yielded more resting spores, as did extensive serial passage, which simultaneously caused a decrease in conidiation. Fungal isolates varied in the types of spores produced, with fewer cadavers of larvae killed by the least virulent isolate discharging conidia. Results from this study support the hypothesis that both the condition of the fungal pathogen as well as the environment surrounding it contribute to the types of spores produced. Keywords: fungal sporulation, resting spores, azygospores, Entomophthorales, Entomophaga maimaiga, biological control.

Relating Aerial Deposition of Entomophaga maimaiga Conidia (Zoopagomycota: Entomophthorales) to Mortality of Gypsy Moth (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) Larvae and Nearby Defoliation

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (5) ◽  
pp. 1214-1222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph S Elkinton ◽  
Tonya D Bittner ◽  
Valerie J Pasquarella ◽  
George H Boettner ◽  
Andrew M Liebhold ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New England ◽  
Gypsy Moth ◽  
Landsat Imagery ◽  
The United States ◽  
Viral Pathogen ◽  
Entomophaga Maimaiga ◽  
Gypsy Moths ◽  
Airborne Conidia ◽  
Late Instar ◽  
Highly Correlated

Abstract We collected data on mortality of late-instar gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (L.), from outbreak populations over 4 wk in June 2017 at 10 sites in the New England region of the United States, along with estimated rainfall at these sites. Deposition of airborne conidia of the fungal pathogen, Entomophaga maimaiga Humber, Shimazu & R.S. Soper, was measured at these same sites as well as at seven other locations in New England. We also quantified the geographical distribution of gypsy moth-caused defoliation in New England in 2017 and 2018 from Landsat imagery. Weekly mortality of gypsy moth larvae caused by E. maimaiga correlated with local deposition of conidia from the previous week, but not with rainfall. Mortality from this pathogen reached a peak during the last 2 wk of gypsy moth larval development and always exceeded that caused by LdNPV, the viral pathogen of gypsy moth that has long been associated with gypsy moth outbreaks, especially prior to 1989. Cotesia melanoscela (Ratzeburg) was by far the most abundant parasitoid recovered and caused an average of 12.6% cumulative parasitism, but varied widely among sites. Deposition of E. maimaiga conidia was highly correlated with percent land area defoliated by gypsy moths within distances of 1 and 2 km but was not significantly correlated with defoliation at distances greater than 2 km. This is the first study to relate deposition of airborne conidia of E. maimaiga to mortality of gypsy moths from that agent.

Gender differences in academic entrepreneurship: experience, attitudes and outcomes among NSF I-CORPS participants

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alanna Epstein ◽  
Nathalie Duval-Couetil ◽  
Aileen Huang-Saad
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Prior Experience ◽  
Entrepreneurial Intention ◽  
The United States ◽  
Technology Commercialization ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Team Interactions

PurposeExpanding access to entrepreneurship training programs can be a method to increase female involvement in technology commercialization only if these programs adequately address the specific challenges facing female faculty and graduate students. In the context of the US National Science Foundation's Innovation Corps (NSF I-Corps) program, this study examines gender differences in prior experience and attitudes towards the training in order to propose improvements to the program design.Design/methodology/approachThis quantitative study uses Pearson's Chi-Square and ANOVA tests on survey data from the I-Corps national program (n = 2,195), which enrolls faculty members, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and industry experts.FindingsIn comparison to male participants, female I-Corps participants reported less entrepreneurial experience prior to the program, poorer team relationships during the program and lower entrepreneurial intention and technology commercialization readiness at both the beginning and the end of the program. However, no gender differences were found in positive or negative perceptions of the instructional climate or perceptions of program usefulness.Originality/valueThis study is unique as it is based on a large-scale dataset drawn from sites across the United States. The results support potential changes to I-Corps and similar programs, including providing more explicit instructions for tasks with which female participants have less prior experience than males (e.g. in applying for patents), offering guidance for team interactions, and providing mentorship to assess whether low self-efficacy is leading women to underestimate the potential success of their projects.

scholarly journals Evolution of IncA/CblaCMY-2-Carrying Plasmids by Acquisition of theblaNDM-1Carbapenemase Gene

2011 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 783-786 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandra Carattoli ◽  
Laura Villa ◽  
Laurent Poirel ◽  
Rémy A. Bonnin ◽  
Patrice Nordmann
Keyword(s):  
Host Range ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
The United States ◽  
Broad Host Range ◽  
New Delhi ◽  
Yersinia Ruckeri ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Photobacterium Damselae ◽  
Environmental Bacteria ◽  
Broad Host Range Plasmids

ABSTRACTTheblaNDM-1gene has been reported to be often located on broad-host-range plasmids of the IncA/C type in clinical but also environmental bacteria recovered from the New Delhi, India, area. IncA/C-type plasmids are the main vehicles for the spread of the cephalosporinase geneblaCMY-2, frequently identified in the United States, Canada, and Europe. In this study, we completed the sequence of IncA/C plasmid pNDM-KN carrying theblaNDM-1gene, recovered from aKlebsiella pneumoniaeisolate from Kenya. This sequence was compared with those of three IncA/C-type reference plasmids fromEscherichia coli,Yersinia ruckeri, andPhotobacterium damselae. Comparative analysis showed that theblaNDM-1gene was located on a widely diffused plasmid scaffold known to be responsible for the spread ofblaCMY-2-like genes and consequently for resistance to broad-spectrum cephalosporins. Considering that IncA/C plasmids possess a broad host range, this scaffold might support a large-scale diffusion of theblaNDM-1gene among Gram-negative rods.

scholarly journals Gypsy moth genome provides insights into flight capability and virus–host interactions

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (5) ◽  
pp. 1669-1678 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Zhang ◽  
Qian Cong ◽  
Emily A. Rex ◽  
Winnie Hallwachs ◽  
Daniel H. Janzen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Ontology ◽  
Gypsy Moth ◽  
Lymantria Dispar ◽  
Draft Genome ◽  
Immunological Response ◽  
The United States ◽  
Muscle Adaptation ◽  
Phenotypic Differences ◽  
Plant Foliage ◽  
Asian Gypsy Moth

Since its accidental introduction to Massachusetts in the late 1800s, the European gypsy moth (EGM; Lymantria dispar dispar) has become a major defoliator in North American forests. However, in part because females are flightless, the spread of the EGM across the United States and Canada has been relatively slow over the past 150 years. In contrast, females of the Asian gypsy moth (AGM; Lymantria dispar asiatica) subspecies have fully developed wings and can fly, thereby posing a serious economic threat if populations are established in North America. To explore the genetic determinants of these phenotypic differences, we sequenced and annotated a draft genome of L. dispar and used it to identify genetic variation between EGM and AGM populations. The 865-Mb gypsy moth genome is the largest Lepidoptera genome sequenced to date and encodes ∼13,300 proteins. Gene ontology analyses of EGM and AGM samples revealed divergence between these populations in genes enriched for several gene ontology categories related to muscle adaptation, chemosensory communication, detoxification of food plant foliage, and immunity. These genetic differences likely contribute to variations in flight ability, chemical sensing, and pathogen interactions among EGM and AGM populations. Finally, we use our new genomic and transcriptomic tools to provide insights into genome-wide gene-expression changes of the gypsy moth after viral infection. Characterizing the immunological response of gypsy moths to virus infection may aid in the improvement of virus-based bioinsecticides currently used to control larval populations.

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