 Like the domesticated silkworm, this species is susceptible to pébrine, a disease caused by microsporidian fungi in the genus "Nosema".It is lethal to the larvae.It is also commonly infected with the "Antheraea mylitta" cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus (AmCPV), a reovirus which has been reported to destroy around 20% of each silk crop by inducing diarrhea in the larvae, leading to a condition known as grasserie.