ARS | Publication request: IMMUNODETECTION OF THE HYMENOPTERAN PARASITOID MUSCIDIFURAX RAPTORELLUS IN HOUSE FLY PUPAE FOR ASSESSMENT OF BIOLOGICAL CONTROL

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: October 7, 1997
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: Muscidifurax raptorellus are gregarious hymenopteran (wasp) parasitoids of stable fly (Stomoxys calcitrans) and house fly (Musca domestica) puparia. Strategic inundative mass releases of artificially-reared M. raptorellus and other wasp parasitoids have been used in studies of biological control of livestock pest dipterans which breed in livestock wastes. Lack of an accurate and simple method to detect fly parasitism by wasps has limited the assessment of the utility of fly biological control by M. raptorellus and other parasitoids. Conventional estimates of parasitism rates based on non-emergence of wasp-exposed fly pupa do not account for non-parasite induced mortality; pupal microdissection is too tedious to be practical. In this study, we produced polyclonal rabbit anti-M. raptorellus serum antibodies and used the adsorbed antiserum in a rapid indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect M. raptorellus larval antigens in house fly pupae. The ELISA was sensitive and specific in detecting M. raptorellus parasitism of house fly pupae between 7 and 21 days post-sting. Specificity of the ELISA was confirmed by Western immunoblots. The ELISA also detected parasitoid larval antigens in non-emergent house fly pupa. Enzyme immunoassay and related immunological techniques are potential research and surveillance tools to monitor and quantify biological control of dipteran livestock pests by parasitoid wasps.