Short CommunicationAnalysis of virus susceptibility in the invasive insect pest Drosophila suzukii

•Invasive insect pest Drosophila suzukii is susceptible to three insect viruses.•Susceptibility links to sensitive allele of pastrel, a gene mediating resistance.•Offers model to establish viruses as safe biocontrol agents for Drosophila suzukii.

The invasive insect pest Drosophila suzukii infests ripening fruits and causes massive agricultural damage in North America and Europe (Cini et al., 2012). Environmentally sustainable strategies are urgently needed to control the spread of this species, and entomopathogenic viruses offer one potential solution for global crop protection. Here we report the status of intrinsic and extrinsic factors that influence the susceptibility of D. suzukii to three model insect viruses: Drosophila C virus, Cricket paralysis virus and Flock house virus. Our work provides the basis for further studies using D. suzukii as a host system to develop viruses as biological control agents.