Observations on house fly larvae midgut ultrastructure after Brevibacillus laterosporus ingestion

The pathological and histopathological course caused by Brevibacillus laterosporus on house fly larvae has been investigated conducting observations on insect behavior and midgut ultrastructure. After dissection and fixation, gut tissues were analyzed under transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in order to compare in vivo-treated and non-treated (control) fly specimens. Treated larvae showed extensively reduced feeding and growth rate, then became sluggish and died within 72 h. A progressive midgut epithelium deterioration was observed in treated larvae, compared to the control. Ultrastructural changes consisted of microvilli disruption, cytoplasm vacuolization and general disorganization, endoplasmic reticulum deformation, mitochondria alteration. Deterioration became progressively more dramatic until the infected cells released their content into the gut lumen. Disruption was associated also with midgut muscular sheath and connective tissue. These ultrastructural changes are similar to those widely described for other entomopathogenic bacteria, such as Bacillus thuringiensis, against different insect species. The rapid disruption of cellular fine structure supports a hypothesis based on an interaction of toxins with the epithelial cell membranes reminiscent of the specific B. thuringiensis δ-endotoxins mechanism of action on other insect targets.