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Volume 12
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10.3390/pathogens12010047
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Article

Uptake and Survival of African Swine Fever Virus in Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) and Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) Larvae

by
Ann Sofie Olesen
1,*,
Christina Marie Lazov
2,
Antoine Lecocq
3,
Francesc Accensi
4,5,
Annette Bruun Jensen
3,
Louise Lohse
1,
Thomas Bruun Rasmussen
1,
Graham J. Belsham
2 and
Anette Bøtner
2
1
Department of Virus & Microbiological Special Diagnostics, Statens Serum Institut, DK-2300 Copenhagen, Denmark
2
Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-1870 Frederiksberg, Denmark
3
Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-1870 Frederiksberg, Denmark
4
Unitat Mixta d’Investigació IRTA-UAB en Sanitat Animal, Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA), Campus de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
5
Departament de Sanitat i d’Anatomia Animals, Facultat de Veterinària, Campus de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Pathogens 2023, 12(1), 47; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12010047
Submission received: 2 December 2022 / Revised: 20 December 2022 / Accepted: 23 December 2022 / Published: 28 December 2022
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Abstract

Insect production offers a sustainable source of nutrients for livestock. This comes with a risk for transmission of pathogens from the insects into the livestock sector, including viruses causing serious diseases, such as African swine fever virus (ASFV), classical swine fever virus and foot-and-mouth disease virus. ASFV is known to survive for a long time within animal meat and byproducts. Therefore, we conducted experimental exposure studies of insects to ASFV using larvae of two key insect species produced for food and feed, the mealworm; Tenebrio molitor, and the black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens. The larvae were exposed to ASFV POL/2015/Podlaskie, via oral uptake of serum or spleen material from ASFV-infected pigs. Using qPCR, the amounts of viral DNA present immediately after exposure varied from ~104.7 to 107.2 genome copies per insect. ASFV DNA was detectable in the larvae of H. illucens for up to 3 days post exposure and in T. molitor larvae for up to 9 days post exposure. To assess the presence of infectious virus within the larvae and with this, the risk of virus transmission via oral consumption, pigs were fed cakes containing larvae exposed to ASFV. Pigs that consumed 50 T. molitor or 50 H. illucens virus-exposed larvae did not become infected with ASFV. Thus, it appears, that in our experimental setting, the risk of ASFV transmission via consumption of unprocessed insect larvae, used as feed, is low.
Keywords: African swine fever virus; black soldier fly; feed safety; insect rearing; mealworm; virus survival; virus transmission African swine fever virus; black soldier fly; feed safety; insect rearing; mealworm; virus survival; virus transmission

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MDPI and ACS Style

Olesen, A.S.; Lazov, C.M.; Lecocq, A.; Accensi, F.; Jensen, A.B.; Lohse, L.; Rasmussen, T.B.; Belsham, G.J.; Bøtner, A. Uptake and Survival of African Swine Fever Virus in Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) and Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) Larvae. Pathogens 2023, 12, 47. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12010047

AMA Style

Olesen AS, Lazov CM, Lecocq A, Accensi F, Jensen AB, Lohse L, Rasmussen TB, Belsham GJ, Bøtner A. Uptake and Survival of African Swine Fever Virus in Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) and Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) Larvae. Pathogens. 2023; 12(1):47. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12010047

Chicago/Turabian Style

Olesen, Ann Sofie, Christina Marie Lazov, Antoine Lecocq, Francesc Accensi, Annette Bruun Jensen, Louise Lohse, Thomas Bruun Rasmussen, Graham J. Belsham, and Anette Bøtner. 2023. "Uptake and Survival of African Swine Fever Virus in Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) and Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) Larvae" Pathogens 12, no. 1: 47. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12010047

APA Style

Olesen, A. S., Lazov, C. M., Lecocq, A., Accensi, F., Jensen, A. B., Lohse, L., Rasmussen, T. B., Belsham, G. J., & Bøtner, A. (2023). Uptake and Survival of African Swine Fever Virus in Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) and Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) Larvae. Pathogens, 12(1), 47. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12010047

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