Genomics and Bioinformatics Research Unit, Gainesville, FL, 32608, USA.
USDA-ARS National Biological Control Laboratory, 59 Lee Road, Stoneville, MS, 38776, USA.
J Insect Sci. 2022 Mar 1;22(2). doi: 10.1093/jisesa/ieac013.
Nezara viridula (L.) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), commonly known in the U.S. as the southern green stink bug (SGSB), is a cosmopolitan, highly polyphagous feeder that causes severe damage to a wide range of agronomically important crops such as fruit, vegetable, grain, tobacco, and cotton, throughout much of the United States, and is a global pest of considerable ecological, agricultural, and economical interest. During dissection of female Nz. viridula, conspicuous black and brown spots or lesions were observed on various internal organs. To determine the cause of these spots or lesions, tissues of fat body, spermatheca, ovaries, and ovulated eggs were collected from healthy and infected individuals. The gross morphology of the spots was characterized, and the microorganisms associated with the infection were identified by amplicon sequencing of the V4 region of the small subunit rRNA gene. The presence of a microsporidian pathogen Nosema maddoxi, Becnel, Solter, Hajek, Huang, Sanscrainte, & Estep (Microsporidia: Nosematidae) which has been observed on other species of stink bug, was evidenced for the first time. The characterization of the gross morphology of this associated microsporidian may enable more rapid determination of microsporidia infection in stink bug colonies and field populations.
南美芫菁（Nezara viridula）（半翅目：猎蝽科），在美国通常被称为南方绿臭虫（SGSB），是一种世界性的、高度多食性的吸食者，会对包括水果、蔬菜、谷物、烟草和棉花在内的多种重要农业作物造成严重损害，在美国大部分地区都有发生，是一种具有相当生态、农业和经济意义的全球性害虫。在对雌性南美芫菁进行解剖时，在各种内部器官上观察到明显的黑色和棕色斑点或病变。为了确定这些斑点或病变的原因，从健康和感染的个体中收集了脂肪体、受精囊、卵巢和已产卵的组织。对斑点的宏观形态进行了特征描述，并通过扩增子测序 V4 区的小亚基 rRNA 基因鉴定了与感染相关的微生物。首次在其他猎蝽科昆虫上观察到一种微孢子虫病原体 Nosema maddoxi、Becnel、Solter、Hajek、Huang、Sanscrainte 和 Estep（微孢子虫：Nosematidae）。这种病原体的存在已经在其他种类的臭虫中被观察到。这种相关微孢子虫的宏观形态特征的描述可能使在臭虫群体和田间种群中更快速地确定微孢子虫感染成为可能。
