Characterizing the Roles of Life Stage and Season on the Prevalence of Select Viral Pathogens in Acheta domesticus Crickets on a Commercial Cricket Farm in the United States

Commercial cricket production has been plagued by viral disease outbreaks that have decimated their potential outputs and profit margins. To date, no epidemiological studies have been performed to estimate the prevalence of major viruses affecting crickets raised in commercial settings. A cross-sectional study was performed to estimate the prevalence of three important viruses (<i>Acheta domesticus</i> densovirus [AdDV], <i>Acheta domesticus</i> volvovirus [AdVVV], and invertebrate iridovirus 6 [CrIV]). Samples were collected across age groups (2-, 4-, and 6-week-olds) and seasons (January, May, August, and October) to determine the effect that these variables had on the prevalence rates. Quantitative real-time PCR was performed and revealed the following high overall prevalence rates: 46.7, 100, and 100% for AdDV, AdVVV, and CrIV, respectively. Viral loads varied from 10^1-5 for AdDV, 10^2-7 for AdVVV, and 10^2-9 for CrIV. AdDV prevalence rates were statistically significant across age and season (age: χ² = 8.3, <i>p</i> = 0.015; season: χ² = 59.7, <i>p</i> < 0.001), with crickets more likely to be infected as they aged and during the colder winter months. CrIV followed similar trends when looking at changes in viral loads between ages and seasons. AdVVV experienced a spike in viral loads across all ages during the month of August. Understanding the epidemiology of these viruses is instrumental in determining best management practices for commercially raised crickets.