Wolbachia Offers Protection Against Two Common Natural Viruses of Drosophila.

ABSTRACT: Wolbachia pipientis is a maternally transmitted endosymbiont infecting more than half of terrestrial arthropod species. Wolbachia can express parasitic phenotypes such as manipulation of host reproduction and mutualist phenotypes such as protection against RNA virus infections. Because Wolbachia can invade populations by reproductive manipulation and block virus infection, it is used to modify natural insect populations. However, the ecological importance of virus protection is not yet clear, especially due to scarce information on Wolbachia protection against viruses that are common in nature. We used systemic infection to investigate whether Wolbachia protects its host by suppressing the titer of DMELDAV and DMelNora virus, two viruses that commonly infect Drosophila melanogaster flies i

SUBMITTER: Pimentel AC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11982076 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature