ARS | Publication request: Scope and Basic Principles of Insect Pathology

Submitted to: Insect Pathology
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: July 28, 2011
Publication Date: February 1, 2012
Citation: Kaya, H.K., Vega, F.E. 2012. Scope and Basic Principles of Insect Pathology. In: Vega, F., Kaya, H.K., editors. Insect Pathology. 2nd edition. San Diego, CA: Academic Press. p. 1-12.

Technical Abstract: Insects are the dominant animals in the world with more than one million described species. The vast majority of insects are innocuous or beneficial to humans, but a small percentage are pests that require a significant amount of our time, effort and funds to reduce their negative effects on food production and our health and welfare. One environmentally acceptable method to control these insect pests is to use pathogens. The study of pathogens infecting insects is referred to as “insect pathology.” Insect pathology is the study of anything that goes wrong with an insect, and therefore, includes non-pathogenic and pathogenic causes. Our focus is on pathogens that can be used as microbial control agents of insects. Here, the basic principles in insect pathology including the microorganisms that cause diseases, their portal of entry, infectivity, pathogenicity and virulence, course of disease, Koch’s postulates, and diagnosis are covered.