Effects of temperature, storage period and the number of individuals on the detection of the false spider mite Cardinium endosymbiont.

Cardinium have been found as endosymbionts of Brevipalpus phoenicis, the mite vector of the Citrus leprosis virus. With the long-term objective being to understand the mechanisms of plant-virus-vector interactions, we evaluated the different storage conditions and periods, as well as the number of mites needed for PCR-amplification of such endosymbionts, making it possible to collect mites in different geographical regions without prolonged storage compromising subsequent analyses.