Comparative Replication, Mortality, and Inclusion Body Production of the Autographa californica1 Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus in Heliothis sp.12

Abstract

The histopathology was studied and mortality, polyhedra production, total virus production, and nonoccluded virus production were measured in Heliothis zea (Boddie) and H. virescens (F.) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) larvae infected with the nuclear polyhedrosis virus isolated from Autographa californica (Speyer) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Both per os and injection routes of inoculation were used, and most tests were purposely biased toward demonstrating viral replication in H. zea. In addition to the great difference in the histopathological responses of the two hosts, large differences in susceptibility via both routes of inoculation were observed. Polyhedra formation, total virus production, and nonoccluded virus production were severely reduced in H. zea as compared with H. virescens larvae. In some cases, these differences exceeded 5,992-fold, even with the tests biased toward obtaining increased responses from H. zea larvae.