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Published on: February 13, 2019
Virus-mediated changes in insect vector tolerance to a neonicotinoid insecticide
Max Schmidtbauer1, Jordan Withycombe1,2, Jinlong Han1
1Department of Agricultural Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
Scientific Reports
|February 19, 2026
Summary
Beet curly top virus (BCTV) infection enhances beet leafhopper (BLH) survival against neonicotinoid insecticides. This virus-mediated tolerance is linked to changes in insect gene expression, not behavior.
Area of Science:
- Plant Virology
- Entomology
- Insecticide Toxicology
Background:
- Beet curly top virus (BCTV) causes significant sugar beet crop damage in the western US.
- BCTV is transmitted by the beet leafhopper (BLH), a vector managed primarily with insecticides.
- Plant viruses can alter vector biology and behavior to enhance transmission.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how BCTV infection affects BLH survival when exposed to insecticides.
- To explore the molecular mechanisms underlying virus-mediated insecticide tolerance in BLH.
Main Methods:
- BLHs, both viruliferous (BCTV-infected) and non-viruliferous, were treated with neonicotinoid and pyrethroid insecticides at varying concentrations.
- Insect survival rates were compared between infected and uninfected groups.
- Transcriptomic analysis (RNA sequencing) was performed on BLHs exposed to a sub-lethal neonicotinoid dose.
Main Results:
- Viruliferous BLHs showed increased survival against sub-lethal neonicotinoids, but not pyrethroids.
- Transcriptomic analysis revealed upregulated detoxification, immunity, and stress-related genes in BCTV-infected BLHs.
- Genes associated with locomotion and cuticle structure were downregulated, suggesting no behavioral adaptation for insecticide tolerance.
Conclusions:
- BCTV infection confers tolerance to neonicotinoid insecticides in BLHs, mediated by molecular changes in the insect.
- This tolerance is likely due to enhanced detoxification and stress response pathways, not behavioral modifications.
- Findings provide insights into vector-host-pathogen interactions and insecticide resistance mechanisms.
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