The Fire Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Pathogen,<i>Vairimorpha invictae</i>(Microsporidia: Burenellidae), Not Detected in Florida

Oi, David H.; Valles, Steven M.; Porter, Sanford D.

doi:10.1653/024.095.0242

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Another microsporidian species, V. invictae, was shown to be present in a polygyne sample collected from St. Croix. Vairimorpha invictae is limited to S. invicta populations in its native range (Oi et al 2012), so this is the first detection of this pathogen outside South America. Curiously, we also found the virus SiDNV in 1 polygyne sample from Anguilla.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 94%

The Red Imported Fire Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the West Indies: Distribution of Natural Enemies and a Possible Test Bed for Release of Self-Sustaining Biocontrol Agents

Valles

Wetterer

Porter

2015

Florida Entomologist

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Sample collections of Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) were taken from 20 islands of the West Indies and evaluated for the presence of key pathogens and parasites of this invasive pest ant. We hypothesized that bottleneck events during the introduction of this ant species in the West Indies would have resulted in populations devoid, or nearly so, of natural enemies. Monogyne and polygyne social forms were found throughout the islands surveyed with monogyny being more prevalent (65%) compared with polygyny (35%). Among 254 samples, only 25 (~10%) tested positive for the presence of pathogens or parasites. The microsporidian Kneallhazia solenopsae was the most prevalent pathogen detected; it was found in 20 colonies. A second microsporidian species, Vairimorpha invictae, was shown to be present in a polygyne sample collected from St. Croix-the first detection of this pathogen outside South America. Similarly, Solenopsis invicta densovirus (SiDNV) was detected in one polygyne sample from Anguilla. SiDNV is not found in S. invicta U.S. populations, so this detection also represents the first geographic discovery outside of South America. Two species of Pseudacteon decapitating flies were found to have dispersed into the Bahamas. Utilization of the islands of the West Indies for release, establishment, and impact assessment of S. invicta natural enemies is discussed.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 94%

The Red Imported Fire Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the West Indies: Distribution of Natural Enemies and a Possible Test Bed for Release of Self-Sustaining Biocontrol Agents

Valles

Wetterer

Porter

2015

Florida Entomologist

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“…invicta . Similarly, the microsporidian pathogen Kneallhazia solenopsae has been found infecting fire ants on both continents, but the microsporidian, Vairimorpha invictae is only found in South America [ 39 ]. This frequency of pathogens found on both continents supports the conclusion that multiple colonies of S .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prospecting for viral natural enemies of the fire ant Solenopsis invicta in Argentina

2018

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Metagenomics and next generation sequencing were employed to discover new virus natural enemies of the fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren in its native range (i.e., Formosa, Argentina) with the ultimate goal of testing and releasing new viral pathogens into U.S. S. invicta populations to provide natural, sustainable control of this ant. RNA was purified from worker ants from 182 S. invicta colonies, which was pooled into 4 groups according to location. A library was created from each group and sequenced using Illumina Miseq technology. After a series of winnowing methods to remove S. invicta genes, known S. invicta virus genes, and all other non-virus gene sequences, 61,944 unique singletons were identified with virus identity. These were assembled de novo yielding 171 contiguous sequences with significant identity to non-plant virus genes. Fifteen contiguous sequences exhibited very high expression rates and were detected in all four gene libraries. One contig (Contig_29) exhibited the highest expression level overall and across all four gene libraries. Random amplification of cDNA ends analyses expanded this contiguous sequence yielding a complete virus genome, which we have provisionally named Solenopsis invicta virus 5 (SINV-5). SINV-5 is a positive-sense, single-stranded RNA virus with genome characteristics consistent with insect-infecting viruses from the family Dicistroviridae. Moreover, the replicative genome strand of SINV-5 was detected in worker ants indicating that S. invicta serves as host for the virus. Many additional sequences were identified that are likely of viral origin. These sequences await further investigation to determine their origins and relationship with S. invicta. This study expands knowledge of the RNA virome diversity found within S. invicta populations.

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“…invictae has not been detected in the USA [34], which restricts studies on this microsporidium to quarantine facilities. invictae has not been detected in the USA [34], which restricts studies on this microsporidium to quarantine facilities.…”

Section: Microsporidian Pathogensmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mitigating the allergic effects of fire ant envenomation with biologically based population reduction

Porter

Valles

et al. 2013

Current Opinion in Allergy &Amp; Clinical Immunology

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During separate founding events in the United States, Australia, mainland China, and Taiwan, fire ants native to South America escaped their native pathogens and parasites. Consequently, fire ant populations in these introduced regions pose a serious public health threat to the human populations by envenomation and subsequent allergic reactions. Specific, self-sustaining biological control agents have been discovered, studied, and released into fire ant populations in the United States in an effort to re-establish an ecological/competitive balance, resulting in reduced fire ant densities and human exposure.

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The Fire Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Pathogen,Vairimorpha invictae(Microsporidia: Burenellidae), Not Detected in Florida

Cited by 6 publications

References 21 publications

The Red Imported Fire Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the West Indies: Distribution of Natural Enemies and a Possible Test Bed for Release of Self-Sustaining Biocontrol Agents

The Red Imported Fire Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the West Indies: Distribution of Natural Enemies and a Possible Test Bed for Release of Self-Sustaining Biocontrol Agents

Prospecting for viral natural enemies of the fire ant Solenopsis invicta in Argentina

Mitigating the allergic effects of fire ant envenomation with biologically based population reduction

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