You are here:
CHARACTERIZATION OF SHRIMP BACULOVIRUS
Citation:
Summers, M. CHARACTERIZATION OF SHRIMP BACULOVIRUS. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/3-77/130.
Description:
The research undertaken involved the partial characterization of a baculovirus of the pink shrimp, Penaeus duorarum. The significance of the study is related to the fact that the shrimp baculovirus is morphologically similar to insect vaculoviruses which were considered unique to insect arthropods prior to the discovery of shrimp nuclear polyhedrosis baculovirus (NPV). Further, insect baculoviruses are being developed and applied as microbial pesticides for the control of certain agricultural insect pests. Whereas the baculovirus diseases in pests of agricultural or medical importance are considered a desirable relationship, a baculovirus infection in shrimp is an undesirable one. Research included investigations of the biochemical, structural, and, where appropriate, biological properties of the shrimp virus as compared to those of known and characterized properties of insect baculoviruses, both granulosis and NPVs. Evidence for any structural relatedness of the shrimp NPV to insect NPVs has been confirmed in cross-reactions of purified shrimp NPV polyhedrin and infected shrimp tissues to insect baculovirus antisera.