Diagnostic protocols for the detection of Acheta domesticus densovirus (AdDV) in cricket frass

The European house cricket (Acheta domesticus) is a species of interest for the emerging insect-as-food industry. Acheta domesticus densovirus (AdDV) is a member of the Parvoviridae virus family which infects A. domesticus, causing widespread mortality and even extinction of local cricket populations. Despite the well-known detrimental effects of AdDV in commercial rearing of A. domesticus there are no optimized protocols to accurately and non-destructively detect and quantify the virus. This study establishes a new protocol for the detection of AdDV in faecal material from A.domesticus. The protocol includes methodological improvements, such as upgrading from conventional PCR to quantitative real-time PCR and is much more sensitive than previously published protocols. Moreover, this study shows that cricket faeces are a suitable, non-destructive sample substrate to infer reliably if a cricket population is infected with AdDV or not. Early detection of lethal or economic threats, such as disease-causing viruses, is an essential part of commercial cricket management as well as for monitoring the risk of spread to wild cricket populations or to (human) consumers.