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Title: THE EFFECTS OF DIURECTICS UPON THE ACTIVITY OF THE GYPSY MOTH (LEPIDOPTERA:LYMANTRIIDAE)NUCLEOPOLYHEDROVIRUS

Author
item Shapiro, Martin

Submitted to: Journal of Economic Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/14/2002
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: The use of insect viruses to control agriculturally important insect pests is an attractive alternative to chemical pesticides. Unfortunately these "friendly microbes" are slow acting and much crop damage is done before the insects die. Since the regulation of water, ions, and nitrogenous wastes are of crucial importance to the survival of the insects, tests were set up to determine whether chemicals that affect these functions could act as viral enhancers for the gypsy moth virus. In these tests, certain diuretics acted as viral enhancers and certain combinations acted in an additive or synergistic manner. These tests will lead to more detailed mode of action studies, and the knowledge gained will be important to scientists in designing virus-based strategies, which will lead to more effective viral enhancers for control of insect pest populations.

Technical Abstract: Five chemicals that were reported to act as diuretics were tested singly and in combination for their effects upon the biological activity of the gypsy moth,Lymantria dispar (L.) nucleopolyhedrovirus LdMNPV. Among the five diuretics tested,amiloride (0.5%, 1.0%), flufenamic acid (0.5%, 1.0%), and furosemide ((0.5%, 1.0%) acted as viral enhancers, whereas acetazolamide, and hydrochlorothiazide had little effects upon LC50s. Combinations of acetazolamide (0.5%)/hydrochlorothiazide (0.5%), amiloride (0.5%)/flufenamic acid (0.5%), amiloride (0.5%)/furosemide (0.5%), amiloride (0.5%)/hydrochlorothiazide (0.5%), and flufenamic acid (0.5%)/furosemide (0.5%),acted as enhancers, whereas combinations of acetazolamide/amiloride, acetazolamide/flufenamic acid, acetazolamide/furosemide, and flufenamic acid/hydrochlorothiazide had little effects upon LC50s. In terms of speed of kill (= LT50) only amiloride (1.0%) and the amiloride (0.5%)/flufenamic acid (0.5%) combination decreased the LT50s for LdMNPV.