Institute of Zoology
Sofia
Bolgaria
Tel.: 359 2 988 5115,
pilarski@dir.bg
Education
1987 Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic Ph.D. in parasitology
1979 Sofia University, Bulgaria Mr.Sc
We are working in the area
of biological control of pest forest insect and biology of their
entomopathogens, especially microsporidia. Microsporidia are obligate
intracellular parasites found in members of all animal phyla, and are
especially common in arthropods. Although eukaryotic, microsporidia are without
mitochondria and their RNA has properties similar to prokaryotic rRNA .
We have recorded different microsporidia in the genera Nosema, Vairimorpha, and Endoreticulatus parasiting in the pests L. dispar and E. chrysorrhea from Bulgaria. In addition, other distinct isolates
in the genus Nosema were
recovered from L. dispar
in Poland, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania, and other isolates
of Endoreticulatus were
recovered from L. dispar in
Slovakia, Hungary, and Portugal. Our aim is to obtain full information
about their variability,
speciation and evolution and to find the most suitable for biological control
species. We are also very much interested in variability within species and taxonomic
relationships between microsporidian pathogens occurring in Central and Eastern
European populations of Lymantria dispar and Euproctis chrysorrhoea
We are also working
on the influence of the fungal pathogen Entomaphaga maimaiga on Lymantria dispar. We have introduced this pathogen in 3 populations and
are monitoring the mortality rate of the pest. We are interested to see how
long the pathogen will control these populations.
Selected Publications
David, L., Pilarska, D. 1988. Pathological
changes of the gypsy moth Lymantria dispar, caused by the microsporidian Nosema
sp. Acta Entomol. Bohemoslav. 85, 257-261.
Golemansky, V., Kuldjieva D. 1980. Eimeria garzettae
sp. n. (Coccidia:Eimeriidae) in the little egret (Egretta garzetta L.) from
Bulgaria. Acta Protoz., 19, 2, 177-179.
David, L. Mirchev, Pilarska, D. 1989. Application of
the microsporidian Nosema sp. to biological protection of oak forests from the
gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar. Acta Entom. Bohemosl. , 86, 269-274.
Pilarska, D., Vavra, J. 1991. Morphology and
development of Nosema serbica Weiser, 1963 (Microspora, Nosematidae), parasite
of the gypsy moth Lymantria dispar (Lepidoptera, Lymantriidae). Folia
Parasitol. 38, 115-121.
Pilarska, D. 1994. A microsporidian, Nosema
carpocapsae Paillot, 1938
(Microspora, Nosematidae), a new parasite for Laspeyresia molesta Buscq (Lepidoptera, Tortricidae). Acta
Parasitol., 1994, 39 (20), 62-63.
Subchev, M., Pilarska, D. Calling behaviur and sex
pheromone gland of Scoliopteryx libatrix L. (Lepidoptera:Noctuidae) females. Acta zoologica
bulgarica, 48,
Golemansky, V., Lipa, J., Pilarska, D., Todorov, M.
Unicellular parasites (Protozoa: Eugregarinida, Microsporida and
Trychostomatida) of the orthopterous insects (Insecta:Orthoptera) in Bulgaria.
Acta zool. bulg., 50, 123-135.
Pilarska, D., Solter, L., Maddox J., McManus M. Microsporidia from gypsy moth
(Lymantria dispar L.) populations in Central and Western Bulgaria. Acta
Zoologica Bulgarica, 50, (2-3),
109-113.
Pilarska, D. 1999. First report of Microsporidia of
black flies larvae (Simulidae) from Bulgaria. - Acta Parasit., 44 (3), 149-152.
Golemansky, V., Lipa, J., Pilarska,
D., Todorov, M. 1998. Unicellular parasites
(Protozoa: Eugregarinida, Microsporida and Trychostomatida) of the
orthopterous insects (Insecta:Orthoptera) in Bulgaria. Acta Zool.Bulg., 50,
123-135.
Pilarska, D., Solter, L., Maddox J., McManus M.,
1998. Microsporidia from gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar L.) populations in
Central and Western Bulgaria. Acta Zool. Bulg., 50, (2-3), 109-113.
Valkunas, J., Ezhova G., Golemansky, V., Pilarska D.
Zechtindzhiev, P.2000. Blood protozoan parasites (Protozoa: Kinetoplastida
& Haemosporida) of wild birds from Bulgaria. Acta Zool. Bulg. 52 (1),
34-36.
Pilarska,
D., Linde, A., Pilarski, P. 2000. Morphometrical comparison of
various isolates from the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar L., IOBC/WRPS Bulletin,
vol. 23(2), 303-307.
Solter, L., Pilarska, D. Vossbrinck, C. 2000.
The Host Specifity of Microsporidia pathogenic to forest Lepidoptera. Biol.
Contr. 19, 48-56.
Vega, F., Reid, A., Herard, F., Pilarska, D.,
Danova, E., Tomov, R.,
Lacey, L., Kaya, H. 200. Infectivity of a Bulgarian and an American strain of
Steinernema carpocapsae (Nematoda: Steinernematidae) against codling moth.
Biol. Control, 20,
Pilarska,
D., McManus, M., Hajek, A., Herard, F., Vega, F., Pilarski, P., Markova, G.
2000. Introduction of the entomopathogenic fungus Entomopahaga maimaiga to a
Lymantria dispar populations in Bulgaria, Anzeig. Schadlingskunde, 6, in press.
Pilarska,
D., Linde, Solter, L., McManus, M.
Entomopathogens from Euproctis chrysorroa populations in Bulgaria. Anzeig.
Schadlingskunde, in press.