scientifically exemplary and will serve here 
as an indication of the proper treatment of a 
potential virus-control agent. 
First, a method of production of the product 
with substantial techniques for standardization 
and uniformity must be demonstrated. 
Second, means of assurance that unde- 
sirable or extraneous biotypes are eliminated 
must be devised, especially when a living 
organism is involved. 
Third, the efficacy of the viral product must 
be demonstrated by the results of thorough 
field testing against the specific insect host 
on all its host plants. 
Fourth, the safety of the product for verte- 
brates and for beneficial insects must be 
established by applying a protocol of tests 
that has the approval of the regulatory agen- 
cies, 
I think it is quite obvious that the fulfill- 
ment of the first three requirements can be 
started by Government agencies, but that 
commercial interest and investigation are 
necessary before production and efficacy in 
the field can be established. 
With regard to the last requirement (i.e., 
safety for other life forms), insect pathologists 
had concluded that insect viruses were in- 
nocuous for warm-blooded animals. Until 
recently no formal extensive tests had been 
carried out. 
A survey of serologists working with insect 
viruses was made, and it was concluded that 
28 species of viruses from 26 species of in- 
sects have been injected into 6 species of 
vertebrates, during the serological investiga- 
tions over the past few years. The astounding 
fact that emerged was that, with one exception, 
not one animal has died exhibiting suspicious 
symptoms; all animals referred to either 
were sacrificed after several months or are 
still alive today. The one exception was a 
guinea pig in Dr. Krywienczyk's laboratory 
that died of unknown causes, 8 months and 
nine bleedings after injection of the virus. 
(Aizawa, Steinhaus, Stoddart, Rivers, Bergold 
and Krywienczyk, Smith, personal communi- 
cations.) 
Since such findings can hardly be considered 
proof, no matter how interesting, a protocol 
of tests was proposed by the Entomology 
74 
Research Division to the regulatory agencies 
in the U.S. Government and was approved. 
These tests included intravenous, intracere- 
bral injections of polyhedral virus and freed 
virus particles in mice, per os feeding of 
virus to mice, intraperitoneal andintradermal, 
allergenicity injections in guinea pigs, and 
inhalation tests in both species. The protocol 
of tests will soon be published as part ofa 
report on fhe testing of the H. zea and T. ni 
nuclear polyhedrosis viruses. It is adequate 
to state here that the findings regarding these 
viruses support the past attitude that these 
micro-organisms are harmless for verte- 
brates, 
The main point is that we now have a 
clear-cut procedure that can be followed to 
carry any of the worthwhile micro-organisms 
from the scientist's workbench to the final 
commercial product with adequate safeguards 
for public safety accounted for. 
Lest I make the whole process sound too 
easy, allow me to point out that many prob- 
lems still exist; for example, problems of 
storage, bioassay, formulation, and competi- 
tive diseases in rearings still remain partially 
unanswered. However, this move to actually 
produce the microbial control agents is a 
giant step toward accepted use of microbes 
in control programs. 
How will these micro-organisms be used? 
In our relative ignorance at this time, but 
with a thought for the possibility of resistance 
to these specific diseases, we generally lean 
toward the integrated control technique, which 
involves the use of small amounts of in- 
secticides along with the micro-organisms. 
This type of treatment would protect the 
host plant from other species of pests, kill 
the target insect by infection with the spe- 
cific disease, and hopefully keep the target 
insect off balance so that the chance of 
buildup of a resistant insect would be more 
remote. 
In conclusion, I have only one prediction to 
make: I am confident that insect pathology is 
destined to have a major role in insect con- 
trol in the future. If enthusiasm and coopera- 
tion continue among interested workers 
throughout the world, as in the past 20 years, 
that day will come very soon. 


