Prevention and Management of Diseases in Terrestrial Invertebrates

Eilenberg, Jørgen; Jensen, Annette Bruun

doi:10.1002/9781119256106.ch14

Cited by 6 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 93 publications

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“…Therefore, we do not expect insect-pathogenic viruses will become a threat to humans. The same holds for specialist insect pathogenic fungi and bacteria (Eilenberg and Jensen, 2018). Insect infection by such specialised diseases may be highly relevant for insect production systems, while not being of any significance for vectoring diseases that affect human health.…”

Section: Insects As Vectors Of Human Pathogensmentioning

confidence: 97%

Edible insects unlikely to contribute to transmission of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2

Dicke

Eilenberg

Salles³

et al. 2020

Journal of Insects as Food and Feed

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In the context of food safety, edible insects are evaluated for biological hazards such as microbial pathogens according to regulations currently in place. When the European Food Safety Authority evaluated the hazards of edible insects as a potential source of pathogenic viruses for humans and livestock, the novel zoonotic coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 had not yet emerged but other pathogenic coronaviruses such as SARS (SARS-CoV) and MERS (MERS-CoV) were known. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, animal sources of protein for human consumption are being evaluated for the risks of being a transmission vector of coronaviruses, like SARS-CoV-2. Insects lack a receptor that can bind SARS-CoV-2, thus preventing the virus from replicating in insects, unlike some vertebrate livestock species and companion animals. Despite extensive monitoring, coronaviruses have never been recorded in insect microbiomes. Contamination of insects produced for food or feed may occur during the production process, resulting from rearing substrate or from insect farmers. However, the currently permitted rearing substrates do not include animal products and the farming process is highly automated, thus limiting interactions between farmers and insects. If contamination would still occur, the fact that the insects in production are not hosts to SARS-CoV-2 precludes virus replication and the further processing of the insects will destroy the contamination. We conclude that the hazard of edible insects being a transmission vector of SARS-CoV-2 is extremely low.

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Section: Insects As Vectors Of Human Pathogensmentioning

confidence: 97%

Edible insects unlikely to contribute to transmission of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2

Dicke

Eilenberg

Salles³

et al. 2020

Journal of Insects as Food and Feed

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“…Prokaryotic microbes, fungi and viruses are actively being studied as potential pathogens of intensively reared insects [ 19 , 20 ]. The Microsporidia, a group of intracellular pathogens that are considered part of a sister group to fungi [ 21 ], are also intensively studied in invertebrates; however, other single-celled eukaryotic parasites are less well-studied [ 22 ].…”

Section: Protist Parasites Including Microsporidia Within the Eu Rear...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Protists in the Insect Rearing Industry: Benign Passengers or Potential Risk?

Bessette

Williams

2022

Insects

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As the insects for food and feed industry grows, a new understanding of the industrially reared insect microbiome is needed to better comprehend the role that it plays in both maintaining insect health and generating disease. While many microbiome projects focus on bacteria, fungi or viruses, protists (including microsporidia) can also make up an important part of these assemblages. Past experiences with intensive invertebrate rearing indicate that these parasites, whilst often benign, can rapidly sweep through populations, causing extensive damage. Here, we review the diversity of microsporidia and protist species that are found in reared insect hosts and describe the current understanding of their host spectra, life cycles and the nature of their interactions with hosts. Major entomopathogenic parasite groups with the potential to infect insects currently being reared for food and feed include the Amoebozoa, Apicomplexa, Ciliates, Chlorophyta, Euglenozoa, Ichtyosporea and Microsporidia. However, key gaps exist in the understanding of how many of these entomopathogens affect host biology. In addition, for many of them, there are very limited or even no molecular data, preventing the implementation of molecular detection methods. There is now a pressing need to develop and use novel molecular tools, coupled with standard molecular diagnostic methods, to help unlock their biology and predict the effects of these poorly studied protist parasites in intensive insect rearing systems.

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“…What companies fear most is disease, as this may compromise their whole enterprise (Eilenberg et al, 2017).…”

Section: Freedom From Pain Injury or Disease By Prevention Or Rapid Diagnosis And Treatmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Welfare of farmed insects

Huis

2021

JIFF

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The recent interest in using insects as food and feed is based on their capacity to be a sustainable alternative to other protein sources. When farmed as mini livestock, the question is raised as to whether they are ‘sentient beings’ (self-conscious)? In researching this topic, the problem is that humans often expect animals to have the same subjective experience as we do (anthropomorphic) and consider themselves as the centre of the universe (anthropocentric). We discuss insects’ sentience by looking at their brain, behaviour, and communicative abilities. The miniature brains of insects seem to be arranged in a very efficient functional way due to their very long evolutionary history. As for their behaviour, insects are capable of social and associative learning. Even dopamine, a neurotransmitter involved in reward and pleasure, plays a role. Human communication is mainly verbal, while for insects other means of information exchange are more important, such as tactile, chemical, visual, and vibrational. The distinction needs to be made between nociception and pain, the latter being an emotional experience. It is difficult to prove that insects can experience pain, although they have a large repertoire of withdrawal and defensive behavioural responses. The philosophical attitudes deal with how we view insects and their relations to humans. This also determines the ethical attitude and how we should treat them. Are they just there for our benefit or do we consider them as co-animals? Insects as food requires that many insects must be killed. However, the number killed may not be different when one chooses a plant-based diet. It is concluded that insects should be farmed and killed using the precautionary principle, which assumes that they can experience pain. To discuss the consequences for the industry sector that produces insects for food and feed, we used Brambell’s five freedoms as a framework.

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Prevention and Management of Diseases in Terrestrial Invertebrates

Cited by 6 publications

References 93 publications

Edible insects unlikely to contribute to transmission of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2

Edible insects unlikely to contribute to transmission of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2

Protists in the Insect Rearing Industry: Benign Passengers or Potential Risk?

Welfare of farmed insects

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