The effect of staphylococcal enterotoxin B on pheromone production in fat bodies isolated from male boll weevils

Abstract

In this study we treated fat bodies excised from 1- to 10-day-old male boll weevils with staphylococcal enterotoxin B. After the compound was incubated with fat bodies for 2 hr, the incubating medium was extracted and analyzed for boll weevil sex pheromone production by gas chromatographic analysis. Of the four compounds that make up the boll weevil male sex pheromone, differences were found between the control (no enterotoxin) and test groups in production of the two aldehydes. We concluded from this that the staphylococcal enterotoxin does affect male pheromone production in boll weevils.