Staphylococcus aureus in the house fly: temporospatial fate of bacteria and expression of the antimicrobial peptide defensin.

ABSTRACT: House flies disseminate numerous species of bacteria acquired during feeding and breeding activities in microbe-rich habitats. Previous house fly surveys have detected the pathogen Staphylococcus aureus Rosenbach 1884, which causes cutaneous and septic infections in mammals, and enterotoxic food poisoning. We assessed the fate of GFP-expressing S. aureus (GFP-S. aureus) in the house fly alimentary canal with microscopy and by culture of whole flies and excreta. Furthermore, the concurrent expression of the antimicrobial peptide gene defensin was measured in the crop, proventriculus, midgut, and fat body. As soon as 4 h postingestion (PI), GFP-S. aureus were visualized as cocci or diplococci in the hindgut and rectum of flies fed approximately equal 10(5) colony forming units. Bacteria pers

SUBMITTER: Nayduch D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3767466 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature