The Effect of the Musca domestica Salivary Gland Hypertrophy Virus on Food Consumption in Its Adult Host, the Common House Fly (Diptera: Muscidae)

Abstract

Abstract The Musca domestica salivary gland hypertrophy virus (MdSGHV) substantially enlarges the house fly’s salivary glands and prevents or delays ovarian development in its adult host, but the effect that MdSGHV has on the house fly’s food consumption is currently unknown. Using house flies from a laboratory-reared colony, we evaluated the effect of MdSGHV infection on food consumption over a 7-d period. Both treatment (virus-infected) and control (saline-injected) flies were provided with a choice of 8% sucrose solution and 4% powdered milk solution to determine food preferences. Quantities of each solution consumed were measured every 24 h for each fly to measure food consumptions. Infected house flies were shown to consume less overall of both solutions than house flies injected with saline. The largest consumption discrepancy was seen between female house flies. Healthy female flies with developing ovaries continued to consume a sugar and protein diet, whereas infected female flies fed predominantly on a sugar diet. Additionally, infected male and female flies consumed significantly lower quantities of protein and sucrose than control flies. This suggests that MdSGHV has a negative consumption effect (e.g., hunger, starvation) on its host. Thus, differences in food consumption of infected and control flies probably represent differences in the nutritional requirements of flies resulting from viral infection.