Pathogenic bacteria enhance dispersal through alteration of Drosophila social communication.

ABSTRACT: Pathogens and parasites can manipulate their hosts to optimize their own fitness. For instance, bacterial pathogens have been shown to affect their host plants' volatile and non-volatile metabolites, which results in increased attraction of insect vectors to the plant, and, hence, to increased pathogen dispersal. Behavioral manipulation by parasites has also been shown for mice, snails and zebrafish as well as for insects. Here we show that infection by pathogenic bacteria alters the social communication system of Drosophila melanogaster. More specifically, infected flies and their frass emit dramatically increased amounts of fly odors, including the aggregation pheromones methyl laurate, methyl myristate, and methyl palmitate, attracting healthy flies, which in turn become infected and fu

SUBMITTER: Keesey IW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5559524 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature