Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a facultative pathogen of red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa was identified as a facultative pathogen of red palm weevil. Intra-haemocoelic injection of the pathogen within larvae and pre-pupae was more effective at killing the insects [with a median lethal dose (LD50) of 9×10(2) to 2×10(3) bacteria/insect] than inoculation by force feeding (LD50 of 10(5) to 4×10(5) bacteria/insect) or by wading the insects in a suspension of the pathogen (LD50 of 10(5) to 2×10(5) bacteria/insect). Injection of 3×10(3) bacteria/insect killed 69% of larvae; small larvae were more susceptible (LD50 of 9×10(5) bacteria/larva) than either larger larvae (LD50 of 10(3) bacteria/larva) or pre-pupa. The median time to death of the small larvae following injection of P. aeruginosa was about 6 days but that following force feeding or wading was about 8 days. A secondary invader, Serratia marcescens, had no effect on the pathogenicity of P. aeruginosa but hastened death of larvae by about 3 days.