• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2003

The silkworm, Bombyx mori, is prone to infection of various pathogenic organisms. Pebrine, one of the deadliest disease of silkworm caused by highly virulent parasitic microsporidian, Nosema bombycis has been understood since long. Infections of the disease range from chronic to highly virulent and can result in complete loss to the sericulture industry. Several strains and species of microsporidians have since been isolated from the infected silkworms; the disease is becoming increasingly more and more complex. Epizootiology, development of immunodiagnostic kit, use of chemotherapy and thermotherapy techniques has been addressed for identification and control of the disease. A technique of delayed mother moth examination, which plays a decisive role in the detection of the disease and harvestation of stable cocoon crop, has been described. An attempt has been made to review briefly the literature available on various aspects of the pebrine disease in order to develop efficient model(s) for the prevention and control of the disease and to suggest future avenues of investigation in the field of pebrine disease management.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.282-288
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• 2013

In nature, the population of Nosema bombycis (Microsporidia) causing pebrine disease is small and their development is extremely slow and only few ultimately producing spores. Pebrine infected silkworm, Bombyx mori larvae collected from sericulture field were alive till $3^{rd}$ generation though the concentration of N.bombycis spore was very high ($2.4-3.0{\times}10^8$ spores. $mL^{-1}$). All larvae were died during $4^{th}$ generation with extremely high concentration of pebrine spores ($3.0-4.0{\times}10^9$ spores. $mL^{-1}$) and mostly contain long polar tube (LT). Alternately, all larvae were died immediately (at $3^{rd}$ stage of $1^{st}$ generation) when it was artificially inoculated with same concentration of N.bombycis spores harvested from field ($2.4-3.0{\times}10^8$ spores. $mL^{-1}$) though concentration of spores harvest was very less ($3.0-4.0{\times}10^6$ spores. $mL^{-1}$) and mostly contain short polar tube (ST). Artificially pebrine infected male moth when mated with healthy female moth took six generations to develop pebrine disease and all larvae were died at the $2^{nd}$ stage with very less spore harvest ($3.0-10.0{\times}10^6$ spores. $mL^{-1}$). Survival percentage was increased in all generations (~92.0% at $4^{th}$ generation) when silkworm rearing was conducted under new integrated disease management system.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2013

The commercial rearing of polyphagous Indian tasar silkworm, Antheraea mylitta Drury being practiced on naturally grown primary food plants like Terminalia arjuna, (Arjun) Terminalia tomentosa (Asan), and Shorea robusta (Sal) available in the tropical forests of central India, at times, is seriously affected by the disease- Pebrine, caused by Nosema sp., a microsporidian pathogen. The present investigation on comparative larval, silk gland weight and also cocoon parameters in Pebrine-free and Pebrine-infected ecorace of tasar silkworm Antheraea mylitta Drury (Daba TV), illustrates the tasar silkworm larvae infected with pebrine disease causing heavy losses to the economy of the silk industry.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.85-91
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• 2014

This study was designed to find out the effect of Nosema spore on oxidative damages and antioxidant defence in the midgut of tasar silkworm Antheraea mylitta. Higher level of lipid peroxidation (LPX) and total hydroperoxides indicate the resultant oxidative stress in the Nosema exposed specimen. Increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) suggests activation of physiological mechanism to scavenge the superoxide radical produced during Nosema infection. Higher activities of catalase and glutathione-S-tranferase on $18^{th}$ d indicate adaptive behaviour of the tissue against oxyradicals. The results suggest that Nosema infection is involved in altering the active oxygen metabolism by modulating LPX and reactive oxygen species (ROS), which is indicative of pebrine disease disorder.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.191-196
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• 2003

Silkworm body and rearing seat disinfection is an integral part of effective silkworm rearing as it prevents the spread of various diseases through secondary contamination in the rearing bed. Many bed disinfectants are recommended by various research institutes in India. In the present study, eight bed disinfectants viz., Vijetha, Labex, Resham Jyothi, Sanjeevini, Suraksha, Reshamkeet Oushadh, Dithane M45 and Captan recommended by various Sericultural Research Institutions in the country against the spread of common diseases of silkworm were tested to determine their comparative efficacy. For the study, all the treatment batches were introduced with fixed number of specific diseased larvae so as to maintain a constant source of pathogen in the bed and then followed by treatment with respective bed disinfectants. Percent mortality/infection due to each disease was recorded to determine efficacy of bed disinfectant treatment against respective disease. The results show that all the bed disinfectants tested have considerable efficacy against the spread of various diseases in the rearing bed. However, Vijetha was distinctly superior in its efficacy against all four major diseases of silkworm. The study emphasize the role of bed disinfectants in silkworm rearing and the fact that they should be judiciously selected based on the efficacy of the bed disinfectant and the type of disease prevalent in a particular season and area.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.157-163
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• 2008

Infection of pathogenic microsporidia, Nosema bombycis and Nosema mylitta (Chakrabarti and Manna, 2006) decreased egg production, fecundity, hatching % and increased sterile eggs in heavily infected mulberry silkmoth, Bombyx mori L. On an average a disease free moth laid upto 442.67 eggs with high hatching % (99.53) and less sterile eggs ($0.47{\sim}2.00%$). While an infected moth laid less number of eggs ($7.00{\sim}412.00$) with low hatching % ($32.437{\sim}98.643$) and high sterile eggs ($2.143{\sim}129.571$). Fecundity of disease free laying was highest (468.714) during season-1 then gradually decreased during season- 2 (414.000) to season- 3 (404.285). But fecundity of an infected laying was highest during season-2 and hatched eggs were lowest during season-2. Higher inoculums concentration of N. mylitta infected to 5th stage larva of mulberry silkworm drastically decreased the fecundity in season - 3 and lower inoculums concentration of N. bombycis decreased the fecundity in season-1 and 3. Season-3 was most effective season to decrease the fecundity and increase sterile eggs when both temperature and humidity were fluctuated from the optimum level.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.265-267
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• 2004

The silkworm, Bombyx mori L. is prone to infection of various pathogenic organisms. Pebrine, one of the deadliest disease of silkworm caused by highly virulent parasitic microsporidian, Nosema bombycis has been understood since long. Infections of the disease range from chronic to highly virulent and can result in complete lose to the sericulture industry. Several strains and species of microsporidians have since been isolated from the infected silkworms. A new microsporidian spore was isolated from Lamerin breed of the silkworm B. mori have been studied under scanning electron microscope, found to be different in spore size (length 4.36$\pm$0.06 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$, width 2.14$\pm$0.01${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$) and shape (ova cylindrical with slight depression) from standard strain N. bombycis (length 3.08$\pm$0.21 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$, width 2.01$\pm$0.05 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ and ovidal respectively). In immunological test, the silkworm breed Lamerin isolated micrisporidian spore does not react to different antibody (N. bombycis, M$_{11}$ and M$_{12}$) sensitized latex particle and thus appeared to be a different strain of microsporidian parasitic to the Lamerin breed of the silkworm B. mori.i.i.