Limiting conditions of the horizontal transmission of the Drosophila C virus in its host (D-melanogaster)

摘要

We carried out experiments with virus infected females on the horizontal transmission of Drosophila C virus on artificial culture medium and under controlled conditions. The numerical results made it possible to build up an empirical model. We tested the values of the rearing parameters under nearly natural conditions in boxes containing pieces of rotting apple. A good agreement between observed and estimated values led to the following conclusions: (i) The horizontal transmission of the Drosophila C virus is facilitated via the contamination of the nutritive medium by the cadavers or the feces of virus-infected females (ii) The contamination depends on the richness of viral particles of the contaminating flies. We also confirmed under 'natural' conditions the insufficient contamination of the male flies which justifies the use of females as 'reservoirs' of the virus. The estimation of the biological limiting conditions for horizontal transfer of the virus is the following: a minimum of two contaminating females have to stay for at least two days on an initially uninfected milieu so that a durable contamination of at least some females results. Under these conditions, the richness in viral particles in the contaminated flies is lower than that in the contaminating females and therefore the long term virus infection remains problematical. (C) Elsevier, Paris. [References: 47]