The relation between the virus infection carrier state and an acute infection caused by the virus of nuclear polyedrose in nature's populations of gipsy moths (Lymantria dispar L., Lym. Lepid)

The detection rate of DNA of nuclear polyedrosis virus in the caterpillar organism ranged from 28.6 to 73.2%, the detection rate of virion antigens ranged from 10.3 to 38.2%, and that of the virus polyhedron antigens ranged from 16.1 to 52.3% in 4 natural populations of gipsy moths in the territory of the Novosibirsk region at the outbreak culmination time of a mass reproduction of the insects. An artificial activation of virus reproduction, in experiment, caused death of the insects at a level correlating with the detection rate of virion antigens and of polyhedron in a majority of the populations. The spontaneous viral infection was observed by far less seldom than the detection rate of viral DNA, virion antigen and polyhedron among the insects of 3 populations, in which damages to the forage reserve were single and did not exceed 50%. As for the insects of the 4th population, where the damage to the forage reserves amounted to 70% during 2 consecutive years, the spontaneous viral infection was higher than the detection rate of viral DNA, virion antigens and virus polyhedron. The authors believe that the trophic factor in the 4th population had a decisive impact on the activation of viral infection.

nuclear polyhedrosis virus, gipsy moth, population dynamics of insects, virus infection carriage, acute infection