Viruses of Invertebrates

Invertebrates constitute about 80% of the known animal species in the world, so it is not surprising to find that they harbor large numbers of a wide range of virus types. Unfortunately, our present knowledge of viruses that are pathogenic to invertebrates is largely centered on those reported from the class Insecta, but even here the available information is often fragmentary. However, this is more a reflection of the scarcity of virologists working in this field than of any intrinsic difficulty in studying the particular viruses (Tinsley and Melnick, 1974). It is encouraging that in recent years reports have appeared on virus diseases of invertebrates other than insects and mites. Very little work has been done to characterize such viruses, and some of the reports must be regarded with caution until the viral nature of the causative agent has been fully established, including the infectivity of the isolated viruses to uninfected members of the recorded host.