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Updated: Aug 10, 2026

Laboratory Rearing of Stable Flies and Other Muscoid Diptera
Published on: August 3, 2018
Characterization and description of a virus causing salivary gland hyperplasia in the housefly, Musca domestica
R R Coler1, D G Boucias, J H Frank
1Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, Gainesville 32611-0620.
Abstract:
A double-stranded DNA virus was isolated from hyperplasic salivary glands of male and female houseflies, Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae), collected from a dairy in Alachua County, Florida, U.S.A. Sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) of this housefly salivary gland hyperplasia (SGH) virus revealed the presence of two major and eight minor structural polypeptides. Restriction endonuclease analysis indicated that the c. 137 kilobase pair DNA was double-stranded. Weekly, sweep-net sampling of the fly population throughout the season (May-October, 1991) showed that 1.5-18.5% of the dissected flies possessed hyperplasic salivary glands. The virus replicated within the nuclei of the salivary gland cells and was transmitted per os to newly-emerged healthy adult flies.

