Resumo

LANGE, Carlos E.; BARDI, Christian  e  PLISCHUK, Santiago. Infectivity of Paranosema locustae (Microsporidia) to the 'quebrachera' grasshopper, Tropidacris collaris (Orthoptera: Romaleidae), in the laboratory. Rev. Soc. Entomol. Argent. [online]. 2008, vol.67, n.3-4, pp.151-155. ISSN 0373-5680.

Following the standard procedure of orally inoculating third-instar nymphs with 105 spores each, the infectivity of the microsporidium Paranosema locustae (Canning), a pathogen developed for the long-term control of grasshoppers, to Tropidacris collaris (Stoll), was determined. In recent years, T. collaris has demanded a heavier use of insecticides for its control. The proportion of insects that developed infection was low (38 %; n = 50), the level of spore production was almost nil (only two trace infections), and typical signs or symptoms associated with heavy infections were not observed. Since a high production of infective transmissible units (spores) is normally needed for an infectious disease with predominant horizontal transmission to be able to persist in the population of the host, it is inferred that P. locustae would not be an efficacious alternative for the control of T. collaris.

Palavras-chave : Biocontrol agent; Locust; Microsporidium; Nosema locustae; Pathogen.

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