Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa was identified as a facultative pathogen of red palm weevil. Intra-haemocoelic injection of the pathogen within larvae and pre-pupae was more effective at killing the insects [with a median lethal dose (LD50) of 9×102 to 2×103 bacteria/insect] than inoculation by force feeding (LD50 of 105 to 4×105 bacteria/insect) or by wading the insects in a suspension of the pathogen (LD50 of 105 to 2×105 bacteria/insect). Injection of 3×103 bacteria/insect killed 69% of larvae; small larvae were more susceptible (LD50 of 9×105 bacteria/larva) than either larger larvae (LD50 of 103 bacteria/larva) or pre-pupa. The median time to death of the small larvae following injection of P. aeruginosa was about 6 days but that following force feeding or wading was about 8 days. A secondary invader, Serratia marcescens, had no effect on the pathogenicity of P. aeruginosa but hastened death of larvae by about 3 days.
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A. Banerjee and T.K. Dangar were with the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute, Regional Station, Kayangulam 690 533, Kerala, India. They are now with the Central Rice Research Institute. Cuttack 753 006, Orissa, India
CPCRI research paper no. 870.
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Banerjee, A., Dangar, T.K. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a facultative pathogen of red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus . World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology 11, 618–620 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00361002
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00361002