Background: Endoparasitoid wasps inject venom proteins at oviposition to alter host immunity. Results: The venom of Leptopilina boulardi but not of a related species contains an active extracellular SOD. Recombinant SODs inhibit the Drosophila host phenoloxidase activity. Conclusion: An extracellular SOD is secreted and active in an insect fluid. Significance: SODs may be used as immune suppres...

Trans-generational immune priming (TGIP) describes the transfer of immune stimulation to the next generation. As stress and immunity are closely connected, we here address the question whether trans-generational effects on immunity and resistance can also be elicited by a nonpathogen stress treatment of parents. General stressors have been shown to induce immunity to pathogens within individual...

Organisms are expected to invest more in their immune function when the risk of disease infection is high. However, induction a robust response costly and may not be achievable suboptimal environments. High conspecific density could simultaneously imply high environment for many insect species. We focus on economically important dipteran species (black soldier fly, BSF) that represents order ha...

In insects, the enzyme phenoloxidase (PO; EC 1.14.18.1) forms an integral part of the cellular and humoral defence system in response to foreign organisms. This enzyme has been shown to have at least two functions. Firstly, to synthesise melanin which encapsulates the invaders and, secondly, as a recognition system for generating other components of the host defence system. In a study with Euro...