Abstract:

 WO phage is the bacterial virus infecting Wolbachia in arthropods. It is supposed that WO phage may participate in controlling genetic changes of the hosts. Laodelphax striatellus planthoppers from four geographic populations of China (Minhang, Shanghai; Puer, Yunnan; Jining, Shandong; Qingtongxia, Ningxia) were bred on rice treated with antibiotics. The infection rates of Wolbachia and WO phage were examined every twenty days, and the infection relationships between Wolbachia and WO phage were analyzed based on the data obtained. The results revealed that the infection rate of Wolbachia declined with time, and so was WO phage. By using Real-time quantitative PCR, we found that the copy numbers of Wolbachia and WO phage varied with the developmental stages of adult female, displaying the highest quantity at 8 d post infection, and WO phage density showed the same pattern as that of Wolbachia. From the results, we inferred that WO phage is the obligate virus infecting Wolbachia, and the WO phage infecting Wolbachia in L. striatellus may be lysogenic.

Key words: Wolbachia, Laodelphax striatellus, WO phage, Realtime quantitative PCR, lysogenic phage