Densovirinae: An Eco-Friendly Alternative in Biological Control

Entomopathogenic viruses are among the most important biological control agents due to their narrow host spectrum, low in vivo production costs and environmentally friendly properties. In particular, asymptomatic viruses with the potential to cause oral infection are seen as an environmentally sustainable alternative to chemical pesticides in the control of harmful insects. The fact that these viruses do not harm non-target organisms and their ability to protect the natural balance of the ecosystem offer significant advantages in the field of biological control. In addition, their minimal environmental impact contributes to the implementation of sustainable approaches to agricultural pest management. Densoviruses are non-enveloped, single-stranded, linear DNA genome viruses of very small size in the subfamily Densovirinae of the family Parvoviridae that infect only invertebrates. These viruses have been isolated from many insect orders including Blattodea, Diptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, Lepidoptera and Orthoptera. They have also been reported to infect decapod crustaceans and echinoderms. Although the discovery of densoviruses dates back some sixty years, their use as biological control agents was not seriously considered until it was demonstrated that these viruses do not infect vertebrates. However, in vivo and in vitro studies in mammals have shown that densoviruses do not infect vertebrates, and this has accelerated research into their potential use in biological control over the last two decades. In this review, the general characteristics of densoviruses and their potential use in biological control are discussed in detail.