Picornaviruses of laboratory and wild Drosophila melanogaster: geographical distribution and serotypic composition

Picornaviruses were sought in a large number of D. melanogaster strains, coming from laboratories or recently collected from different parts of the world. About a third of these stocks contained viruses. Regions naturally infected were warm countries. Picornaviruses found in laboratories as well as in wild drosophila flies were the already known P and C viruses, of serotype 1 and 2, and a new virus of serotype 3 belonging by its biological properties to the P group. We did not find derological relationship between D. melanogaster and A. mellifera Picornaviruses.