Characterizing the Roles of Life Stage and Season on the Prevalence of Select Viral Pathogens in <i>Acheta domesticus</i> Crickets on a Commercial Cricket Farm in the United States.

ABSTRACT: Commercial cricket production has been plagued by viral disease outbreaks that have decimated their potential outputs and profit margins. To date, no epidemiological studies have been performed to estimate the prevalence of major viruses affecting crickets raised in commercial settings. A cross-sectional study was performed to estimate the prevalence of three important viruses (Acheta domesticus densovirus [AdDV], Acheta domesticus volvovirus [AdVVV], and invertebrate iridovirus 6 [CrIV]). Samples were collected across age groups (2-, 4-, and 6-week-olds) and seasons (January, May, August, and October) to determine the effect that these variables had on the prevalence rates. Quantitative real-time PCR was performed and revealed the following high overall prevalence rates: 46.

SUBMITTER: Boykin KL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11946654 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature