Insect Viruses
A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "Insect Viruses".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2011) | Viewed by 57336
Special Issue Editors
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Insects are the most numerous and diverse animals on the planet, and are attacked by a correspondingly wide variety of microorganisms. This special issue of Viruses covers research on viruses that infect insects. Insect viruses have been the subject of basic research in virology and molecular biology and have been evaluated and deployed as safe, environmentally friendly means of controlling insect pests. The largest and most studied group of insect viruses, the baculoviruses, has been developed into expression vectors that serve as invaluable tools for laboratory research and the production of vaccines and pharmaceuticals, and are currently being assessed as potential gene therapy vectors. At the same time, insect viruses pose a significant threat to beneficial insects of great value, such as bees and silkworm moths. The collection of reviews and original research papers in this special issue is intended to summarize and showcase current research on the diversity of viruses that are pathogenic for insects.
Dr. Dawn Gundersen-Rindal
Dr. Robert L. Harrison
Guest Editor