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Functional Characterization of Carboxylesterases in Insecticide Resistant House Flies, Musca Domestica
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Functional Characterization of Carboxylesterases in Insecticide Resistant House Flies, Musca Domestica

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BACTERIOPHAGE ISOLATED FROM THE COMMON HOUSE FLY (MUSCA DOMESTICA)

R E Shope1

  • 1Department of Animal Pathology of The Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research, Princeton, N. J.

The Journal of Experimental Medicine
|October 30, 2009
PubMed

Insights

House flies yielded a bacteriophage effective against four bacterial species. The same extract contained a separate, non-bacteriophage inhibitor targeting four different bacteria, indicating distinct antimicrobial activities.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Virology
  • Insect-derived antimicrobials

Background:

  • House flies can harbor various microorganisms.
  • Insect extracts are a potential source of novel antimicrobial agents.
  • Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria and have therapeutic potential.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the presence of bacteriophage activity in house fly extracts.
  • To identify and characterize other antimicrobial principles in the same extracts.
  • To determine the relationship between different antimicrobial activities found in house fly extracts.

Main Methods:

  • Extraction of antimicrobial agents from house fly salt solutions.
  • Testing bacteriophage activity against susceptible bacterial species.
  • Testing a separate growth-inhibiting principle against different bacterial species.
  • Experimental feeding of specific bacteria to flies to attempt bacteriophage acquisition.

Main Results:

  • A bacteriophage active against four bacterial species was isolated from house fly extract.
  • A distinct, non-bacteriophage growth-inhibiting principle was identified in the same extract, active against four other bacterial species.
  • Attempts to induce streptococcus bacteriophage in flies were unsuccessful, suggesting unrelated activities.

Conclusions:

  • House flies harbor both bacteriophages and other distinct antimicrobial substances.
  • The bacteriophage and the growth-inhibiting principle isolated from house flies are unrelated.
  • Further research into insect-derived antimicrobials may yield diverse therapeutic agents.

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