Molecular and immunological studies on the production and characterization of antimicrobial peptides in the haemolymph of the cotton leaf worm, Spodoptera littoralis (Boisd.)

Abstract

Due to the evolution of antimicrobial resistance in most pathogenic bacteria, including Staphylococcus and Salmonella strains, stimulated by the uncontrolled usage of antibiotics in both human and animals feed to enhance the growth of food animals, and their use in veterinary medicine for treating bacterial infections, extensive research will be needed that aim to discover new antibiotics and study their efficiency and applicability. The present study tries to approve the ability of S. littoralis larvae to obtain an antimicrobial activity in their hemolymph, upon immunization (non-lethal infection) with bacterial pathogens and to test the role of AMPs as natural antibiotics against an otherwise lethal septic bacterial infection. Biochemical characterization of the immunized hemolymph to determine the biodiversity, functional properties and amino acid composition of AMPs have been also investigated.