Diseases in insects produced for food and feed

Abstract

Increased production of insects on a large scale for food and feed will likely lead to many novel challenges, including problems with diseases. We provide an overview of important groups of insect pathogens, which can cause disease in insects produced for food and feed. Main characteristics of each pathogen group (viruses, bacteria, fungi, protists and nematodes) are described and illustrated, with a selection of examples from the most commonly produced insect species for food and feed. Honeybee and silkworm are mostly produced for other reasons than as human food, yet we can still use them as examples to learn about emergence of new diseases in production insects. Results from a 2014 survey about insect diseases in current insect production systems are presented for the first time. Finally, we give some recommendations for the prevention and control of insect diseases.

Transferable Antibiotic Resistances in Marketed Edible Grasshoppers (Locusta migratoria migratorioides)

“…A recent scientific opinion of the EFSA Scientific Committee (EFSA ) reported that antimicrobials can be used during insect rearing as an emergency treatment for diseases caused by bacteria, fungi or microsporidia (Tarapoulouzi and others ; Eilenberg and others ). Hence, the occurrence of AR genes in edible insects could be a direct consequence of these practices.…”

The black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens – a promising source for sustainable production of proteins, lipids and bioactive substances

“…Examples include microsporidia, nematodes, apicomplexa parasites and miscellaneous other single-cell organisms which may be present in insect mass cultures, in particular when cultured under insufficient hygienic conditions. This problem has not yet been sufficiently covered in the literature [20]. The housefly M. domestica is a nutritional competitor in sparsely populated food containers, but more importantly, the flies may be vectors for pathogens.…”

Food Safety Issues Related to Uses of Insects for Feeds and Foods

“…Insects have a specific plethora of viral pathogens that are considered safe for humans and are even, in some cases, approved as biocontrol agents in agriculture. Conversely, human viruses taxonomically related to insect ones are known to be unable to replicate in insects and would therefore not pose health concerns (Eilenberg, Vlak, Nielsen‐Leroux, Cappellozza, & Jensen, ). However, studies are needed for particular groups of viruses, since the arthropod‐borne viruses (arboviruses) are able to cause human diseases (such as dengue, West Nile disease, rift valley fever, hemorrhagic fever, chikungunya) and are able to replicate in their vectors (King, Adamse, Carstens, & Lefkowitz, ).…”