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Updated: Jan 15, 2026
Establishment of Viral Infection and Analysis of Host-Virus Interaction in Drosophila Melanogaster
Published on: March 14, 2019
Persistent viral infections impact key biological traits in Drosophila melanogaster
Mauro Castelló-Sanjuán1, Rubén González1, Ottavia Romoli1
1Institut Pasteur, Viruses and RNA Interference Unit, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France.
Abstract:
Persistent viral infections have been assumed to impose minimal fitness costs for insects. We established persistent mono-infections of Drosophila melanogaster with four different enteric RNA viruses: Drosophila A virus (DAV), Drosophila C virus (DCV), Bloomfield virus, and Nora virus. We observed that these infections significantly reduce fly survival, alter the number of viable offspring per female, modulate microbiome composition, impact locomotor abilities, and change activity patterns. These results demonstrate the significant impact of persistent viral infections on key biological traits and expand our understanding of the fitness costs of persistent viral infections for the host. In addition, the four viruses displayed different accumulation kinetics and elicited unique transcriptional profiles with no common core responses. The transcriptional changes triggered by DCV infection persisted even after viral clearance. This comprehensive comparative dataset represents a valuable resource for researchers studying host-pathogen interactions, providing detailed transcriptional profiles, and behavioral measurements across different viral infections and time points. Our findings reveal that persistent viral infections modulate critical aspects of insect biology, affecting host physiology and behavior.
Insights
Persistent viral infections in fruit flies significantly reduce survival and offspring, impacting behavior and microbiome. These findings highlight substantial fitness costs previously underestimated in insect hosts.
Area of Science:
- * Insect virology and host-pathogen interactions.
- * Molecular biology and transcriptomics.
- * Behavioral ecology and fitness studies.
Background:
- * Persistent viral infections in insects were thought to have minimal fitness consequences.
- * Understanding the true impact requires comprehensive analysis of various biological parameters.
Purpose of the Study:
- * To investigate the fitness costs of persistent enteric RNA virus infections in Drosophila melanogaster.
- * To compare the effects of four distinct viruses (Drosophila A virus, Drosophila C virus, Bloomfield virus, Nora virus) on host traits.
- * To analyze viral accumulation, host transcriptional responses, and behavioral changes.
Main Methods:
- * Established persistent mono-infections in Drosophila melanogaster with four specific enteric RNA viruses.
- * Monitored fly survival, offspring viability, locomotor abilities, and activity patterns.
- * Analyzed microbiome composition and performed transcriptional profiling (RNA sequencing).
Main Results:
- * All four viral infections significantly reduced fly survival and viable offspring.
- * Infections altered microbiome composition, locomotor abilities, and activity patterns.
- * Viruses showed distinct accumulation kinetics and elicited unique, non-overlapping transcriptional profiles; DCV-induced changes persisted post-clearance.
Conclusions:
- * Persistent viral infections impose significant fitness costs on insect hosts, affecting survival, reproduction, physiology, and behavior.
- * Host responses to viral infections are virus-specific, with no conserved core transcriptional response.
- * The study provides a valuable dataset for host-pathogen interaction research in insects.
