Antibiotic (Gentamicin) Impact on Bacterial Flacherrie Disease of Silkworm, Bombyx mori L..

Abstract

There are many factors that influence the success of silk production. Bacterialflacherrie considered the most important factor. Antibiotics showed promising resultsfor controlling of silkworm diseases and to improve the production of silk andharvesting superior crop. The effect of antibiotic (Gentamicin) upon the infection withbacterial flacherrie was discussed. Gentamicin as a cheap antibiotic in Egypt can beused easily by trainees and farmers. It was found that Gentamicin significantlyincreases the effective rate of rearing (ERR %) and larval weight (97.333% and2.631gm, respectively). Single female and male cocoon weights (1.400 gm and 1.068gm, respectively) and male cocoon shell ratio (22.708%) were significantly increasedunder the effect of antibiotic treatment comparing with control. Polymorphism amongthe tested haemolymphal samples were investigated using SDS-PAGEelectrophoresis. A variation was detected in the protein banding pattern withconsiderable polymorphism (88.2 %), with the appearance of 2 monomorphic bands,12 polymorphic and 3 unique bands.