Immune Defenses of a Beneficial Pest: The Mealworm Beetle,

Overview

Journal Front Physiol

Date 2019 Mar 28

PMID 30914960

Citations 39

Authors

Aurelien Vigneron

Charly Jehan

Thierry Rigaud

Yannick Moret

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The mealworm beetle, , is currently considered as a pest when infesting stored grains or grain products. However, mealworms are now being promoted as a beneficial insect because their high nutrient content makes them a viable food source and because they are capable of degrading polystyrene and plastic waste. These attributes make attractive for mass rearing, which may promote disease transmission within the insect colonies. Disease resistance is of paramount importance for both the control and the culture of mealworms, and several biotic and abiotic environmental factors affect the success of their anti-parasitic defenses, both positively and negatively. After providing a detailed description of 's anti-parasitic defenses, we review the main biotic and abiotic environmental factors that alter their presentation, and we discuss their implications for the purpose of controlling the development and health of this insect.

Citing Articles

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