Pathological and epizootiological studies of a Farinocystis isolated from the West Indian sweet potato weevil

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A Farinocystis neogregarine parasite was isolated from mass-reared colonies of the West Indian sweet potato weevil at the facility of Okinawa Prefectural Plant Protection Center (OPPPC) in 2004. First, development and life cycle of the Farinocystis in host weevils were investigated. At 1 day to 2 days post-inoculation, the sporozoites migrated to the fat body and then developed to represent a merogony, gametogony, and sporogony during its complex life cycle. Second, a simple method for detection of the Farinocystis infection in OPPPC weevil colonies was successfully developed. Third, the coleopteran insects were inoculated with the Farinocystis oocysts and its infection was examined using PCR. The result suggested that the Farinocystis has a very narrow host range. Lastly, artificial excystation of the Farinocystis oocysts was investigated, and it was revealed that the procedures with a chemical treatment following a physical grinding were effective for the oocyst excystation.