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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Gainesville, Florida » Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology » Imported Fire Ant and Household Insects Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #151000

Title: USE OF RIBOSOMAL DNA SEQUENCE DATA TO CHARACTERIZE AND DETECT A NEOGREGARINE PATHOGEN OF SOLENOPSIS INVICTA (HYMENOPTERA: FORMICIDAE)

Author
item Valles, Steven
item Pereira, Roberto

Submitted to: Journal of Invertebrate Pathology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/10/2003
Publication Date: 12/4/2003
Citation: Valles, S.M., Pereira, R.M. 2003. Use of ribosomal DNA sequence data to characterize and detect a neogregarine pathogen of Solenopsis invicta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Journal of Invertebrate Pathology. v. 84. p. 114-118.

Interpretive Summary: The red imported fire ant was introduced into the United States in the 1930s and currently infests about 300 million acres. It causes significant economic losses in livestock and agricultural production and poses a serious threat to human health. Recently, a promising biological control agent of the red imported fire ant was identified and tentatively placed in the phylum Apicomplexa, genus Mattesia. Scientists at the Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology in Gainesville, FL, cloned and sequenced the 18S ribosomal RNA gene from this new Mattesia species to verify its taxonomic placement. This is the first 18S gene sequence published from this group (Neogregarinida). In addition, a molecular technique was developed capable of detecting the Mattesia species in all stages of its development. This method has and will aid studies focused on understanding how this parasite is transmitted in fire ants.

Technical Abstract: A neogregarine parasite of the red imported fire ant, S. invicta, was discovered recently in Florida and tentatively placed in the Mattesia genus based on morphological characterization. S. invicta infected with this Mattesia species exhibited a characteristic yellowing of the cuticle which was designated Mattesia "yellow-head disease" (YHD). The 18S rRNA gene sequence from Mattesia YHD was elucidated and compared with another fire ant-infecting Neogregarine pathogen, Mattesia geminata. This is the first report of 18S rRNA gene sequence data from an organism in the Neogregarinida. The sequence data support the previous conclusion that Mattesia YHD is a new species that infects S. invicta. Furthermore, high sequence identity between Mattesia YHD and Mattesia geminata (95.7%) correctly place the YHD organism in the Mattesia genus and Neogregarinida order. Oligonucleotide primer pairs were designed to unique areas of the 18S rRNA genes of Mattesia YHD and Solenopsis invicta. Multiplex PCR resulted in sensitive and specific detection of Mattesia YHD infection of S. invicta.