Research

Prof. Dr. Karl Maramorosch has made major contributions to comparative virology, insect cell culture, and virus-vector interactions. First, at Rockefeller University, he carried out a serial passage of the aster yellows phytoplasma in leafhopper vectors, demonstrating the multiplication of plant pathogenic phytoplasmas in invertebrate animal hosts. Then at Boyce Thompson Institute and later at Rutgers University he developed the hypothesis that certain viruses and phytoplasmas are pathogens of both plant and invertebrate animal hosts. Virology and invertebrate pathology has been his major vocation and avocation for over half a century. His seminal work on viruses and insect cell culture resulted in the publication of over 700 scientific papers, including professional and popular articles, as well as over 80 edited books on viruses, invertebrate cell culture, and plant diseases.