The Indian isolate of Densovirus-2 - Impact of infection and mechanism of resistance in Bombyx mori L.

Abstract The Indian Bombyx mori Densovirus type 2 isolate (DNV-2), revealed closer homology with Japanese Yamanashi isolate. PCR and qPCR analyses indicated severe and widespread prevalence of the virus in flacherie diseased B. mori under Indian field conditions. Viral inoculation revealed typical flacherie disease symptoms and transmission electron microscopy revealed damage of infected midgut tissue cells. The nsd-2 gene for resistance to DNV-2 restricted viral proliferation in B. mori . This study indicates possible major role of the Indian DNV-2 isolate in causing flacherie disease in B. mori leading to crop loss. A detailed molecular characterization of the whole viral genome including nsd-2 gene expression profiling is essential to develop appropriate diagnostic tools and control strategies.