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Title: ENTOMOPOXVIRUSES ASSOCIATED WITH GRASSHOPPERS AND LOCUSTS: BIOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION

Author
item ERLANDSON MARTIN - AGRICULTURE CANADA
item Streett, Douglas

Submitted to: The Memoirs Of The Entomological Society Of Canada
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/7/1995
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Although scientists have studied insect viruses which kill grasshoppers for more than fifteen years, there is an urgent need for a review of existing knowledge. We provide an up to date review of the biochemistry of the known grasshopper and locust viruses that includes current findings of our own studies. This review will be very useful to scientists interested in new biological control options for grasshoppers that reduce pesticide use in the environment.

Technical Abstract: This review will describe and examine the current biochemical knowledge of grasshopper and locust entomopoxviruses. It will review the available information on entomopoxvirus structural proteins, and on the characterization of genomic DNA, as well as introduce some of our current studies on grasshopper entomopoxviruses. Although morphological descriptions can be used to identify a virus isolate as an entomopoxvirus, further biochemical information is required to distinguish an individual isolate. Restriction endonuclease analysis of EPV genomes are very useful in definitively identifying virus isolates. A better understanding of virus replication will evolve as more biochemical data becomes available and molecular biological studies can be used to address the nature of the virus-host insect interactions.