They study how a virus affects a meadow that is a pest of crops to fight plague

2011/07/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Biologia
• Nekazaritza

Biologist Oihana Cabodevilla, from the Public University of Navarra, has studied the virus that causes nuclear polyhedrosis, a virus that causes large pests in greenhouse crops. In fact, he has studied how the demanding virus is transmitted to Spodoptera on the caterpillar and its durability, and has seen that the infection can be transmitted confidentially in several generations of the insect. Well, the next working hypothesis they want to implement is the use of these silent viruses that could be extended in the population as pest control agents.

With this UPNA virus they have been working on the development of bioinsecticides for more than a decade. In 2007 we obtained the patent of a bioinsecticide, a preparation with infectious particles of the virus that is poured on greenhouse plants. If many infectious particles penetrate the caterpillars, they die and then millions of penetration bodies are released willing to infect other caterpillars. However, if the dose is not high enough, caterpillars can get a confidential infection, without symptoms of disease, but can transmit viruses to the next generations.

In current research, "we have shown that latent infection can be transmitted in continuous generations in rural populations," said Cabodevilla. Regarding the opening of new research avenues and new working hypotheses, Cabodevilla said that "future research will be able to address how to reactivate secret infections, thus turning secret infections into deadly infections."