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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Ithaca, New York » Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture & Health » Emerging Pests and Pathogens Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #269162
Title: Fruit body formation on silkworm by Cordyceps militaris

Author
item HONG, IN-PYO - National Academy Of Agricultural Science
item KANG, PIL-DON - National Academy Of Agricultural Science
item KIM, KI-YOUNG - National Academy Of Agricultural Science
item NAM, SUNG-HEE - National Academy Of Agricultural Science
item LEE, MAN-YOUNG - National Academy Of Agricultural Science
item CHOI, YONG-SOO - National Academy Of Agricultural Science
item KIM, NAM-SUK - National Academy Of Agricultural Science
item KIM, KYE-KYUNG - National Academy Of Agricultural Science
item LEE, KWANG-GILL - National Academy Of Agricultural Science
item Humber, Richard

Submitted to: Mycobiology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/11/2010
Publication Date: 11/17/2011
Citation: Hong, I., Kang, P., Kim, K., Nam, S., Lee, M., Choi, Y., Kim, N., Kim, K., Lee, K., Humber, R.A. 2011. Fruit body formation on silkworm by Cordyceps militaris. Mycobiology. 38:128-132.

Interpretive Summary: This manuscript reports experimental protocols that were developed at the National Academy of Agricultural Science (Rural Development Administration) in Korea to support the mass production of the sexual fruiting bodies of the insect-pathogenic fungus Cordyceps militaris by artificial infections of silkworm pupae. This fungus is an important producer of biologically active compounds that are used in traditional herbal medicine in Korea and throughout other traditional medical practices in China and Japan. Note that these protocols result in high levels of infection and impressive production of fruiting bodies that contain the desired compounds despite an inherent risk to the silkworms of accidental contamination of their bodies during the injection process.

Technical Abstract: Injection inoculation protocols for fruit body formation of Cordyceps militaris were investigated to improve the incidence of infection in the silkworm species Bombyx mori. Injection, with suspensions of C. militaris hyphal bodies into living silkworm pupae, was used to test for fruit body production. Use of Daeseungjam rather than Baeokjam or Keumokjam varieties of B. mori is thought to be suitable for infection by C. militaris. From mounting, nine-day-old to 11-day-old pupae showed the best incidence of infection with a 100 microliters injection volume. Silkworm pupae injected with a hyphal suspension concentration of more than 2 x 10 exp 5 colony-forming units (cgs) recorded greater than 96% incidence of infection. Also, fruit bodies of C. militaris were induced and produced at a light intensity between 5000 and 1,000 lux.