University of Leicester develops virus to protect muga caterpillars

University of Leicester has developed a virus to protect muga caterpillars and, once proven, would benefit thousands of farmers in India who manufacture the muga silks which is believed to be the one of the finest silks in the world. Muga caterpillars, which produce this highly valuable silk, are dying from bacterial infections, in Assam. Hence, researchers at the University of Leicester claim that the virus that they have developed could protect the silkworms from disease, thereby saving the Muga silk industry.
This has been reported in ibnlive.com dated 10 January 2016.

Incidentally, muga silk is produced only in the North East India as the silkworms form their cocoons. The decline in the population of these caterpillars over the last few years is attributed to eating infected leaves. The state of Assam is also well known for its tea and the farmers often spray pesticides to protect the tea leaves. These sprays are thought to have reached the silkworms and have weakened them.
Dr Mahananda Chutia, a visiting academic from Assam at the University of Leicester is employed by the Indian government and he has conducted his research on common white wax worms because Muga caterpillars cannot survive in the UK. He is of the opinion that the remedy would work equally well on Muga silkworms.

(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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