Viruses Genomes - CULEX NIGRIPALPUS BACULOVIRUS

Culex nigripalpus baculovirus ( CuniNPV) is highly pathogenic to C. nigripalpus and C. quinquefasciatus, both of which are important vectors of St. Louis and Eastern encephalitis viruses and it is responsible for epizootics in field populations of C. nigripalpus larvae.

The first modern report of a mosquito pathogenic virus was made in 1963 with the discovery of a cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus isolated from Culex tarsalis however this is the first complete genome sequence and analysis of a baculovirus infecting mosquitoes and provides novel information on genome composition, basic replicative functions and host range functions which may lead to the development of novel mosquito control strategies.

The comparison with lepidopteran baculoviruses provides insight on baculovirus diversity and evolution. The Baculoviridae is a large and diverse family of occluded viruses with double stranded DNA genomes that are pathogenic for insects particularly of the lepidopteran, hymenopteran and dipteran orders. Because a number of dipteran (mosquito) species are important vectors for variety of human and veterinary diseases, extensive investigations to identify pathogens of these insects have been undertaken and in the last 20 years NPVs were isolated from at least ten mosquito species thus allowing the study and use of this virus for mosquito control purposes.

References:

http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publications.htm?SEQ_NO_115=123395
http://vir.sgmjournals.org/cgi/content/full/82/2/283