Abstract

A microsporidium, from cabbage white butterflies, Pieris rapae, collected in Korea, was purified and characterized according to its gene structure, spore morphology and pathogenicity. From the observation of the isolate by SEM and TEM, the endospores, exospores and nuclei, about 12 polar filament coils of the polar tube and posterior vacuoles were all identified. The nucleotide sequence was determined for a portion of genomic DNA which spans the V4 variable region of the small subunit rRNA gene. Comparison with the GenBank database for 15 other microsporidia species suggests that this isolate is most closely related to Nosema species. The pathogenicity against cabbage white butterflies was quantified by inoculating variable doses of spores to the second instar larvae. Peroral inoculation at a dosage of 10^8 spores/ml resulted in the death of all larvae prior to adult eclosion, but at lower spore dosages of 10^4 ?0^5 spores/ml, many adults successfully emerged. The median lethal dose (LD_50 ) was determined to be 4.6 X 10^6 spores/ml and the isolate also transmitted transovarially to the progeny eggs at a frequency of 92%.

• Keywords: Nosema sp.; microsporidia; ribosomal RNA gene; phylogeny; Pieris rapae