Fig 6. Relative quantification of bacterial load by qRT-PCR.

Relative change over time of the bacterial load in Spodoptera littoralis larvae, exposed to control dsRNA (A) or Sl gasmin dsRNA (B) and fed with artificial diet on which a solution of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ca toxin (2.7 μg/cm²) was layered. The bacterial load in the haemolymph (H, red lines with empty circles) resulted significantly influenced by toxin treatment, both in control and silenced larvae, with these latter showing a much higher bacterial load increase over time (see S1 Table for statistics), whereas no significant changes were observed in the midgut (M).