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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Gainesville, Florida » Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology » Mosquito and Fly Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #397564
Research Project: Improved Surveillance and Control of Stable Flies, House Flies, and Other Filth Flies

Location: Mosquito and Fly Research

Title: Rescuing the inhibitory effect of the Salivary Gland Hyptertrophy Virus of Musca domestica on mating behavior

Author
item GALLAGHER, MARISSA - University Of Massachusetts, Amherst
item RAMIREZ, ARIANNA - University Of Massachusetts, Amherst
item Geden, Christopher - Chris
item STOFFOLANO, JR, JOHN - University Of Massachusetts, Amherst

Submitted to: Insects
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/25/2023
Publication Date: 4/27/2023
Citation: Ramirez, A., Gallagher, M., Geden, C.J., Stoffolano, Jr, J.G. 2023. Rescuing the inhibitory effect of the Salivary Gland Hyptertrophy Virus of Musca domestica on mating behavior. Insects. 14(416). https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14050416.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14050416

Interpretive Summary: House flies are a global pests of humans and their associated animals, transmitting disease-causing pathogens and interfering with everyday activities because of annoyance. Pathogens that infect the flies themselves provide an attractive approach to managing these pests with fewer insecticide treatments. One of these pathogens is Salivary Gland Hypertrophy Virus (SGHV), which prevents female flies from mating successfully or developing their ovaries to produce eggs. At present, the mechanism that the virus uses to shut down mating behavior is unknown. This study, conducted by scientists at the University of Massachusetts (Amherst, MA) and USDA, ARS, CMAVE (Gainesville FL), examined potential hormone therapies for reversing the effects of the virus on the flies in order to understand how the virus affects flies. None of the therapies was able to restore egg development in infected flies. However, virus-infected flies that were were treated with the juvenile hormone methoprene became receptive to mating in spite of the infection. These results help narrow down the mechanisms that the virus uses to sterilize flies and could lead to new approaches to fly management.

Technical Abstract: The salivary gland hypertrophy virus (MdSGHV) of Musca domestica inhibits ovarian development, but also prevents female willingness to mate with healthy or viral infected males. This study focused on supplemental, hormonal rescue therapy for both mating behavior and ovarian development in viral infected, female adult house fly. Prior to conducting hormonal rescue therapy, the salivary glands and ovaries were examined at different injected dilutions of a mixed viral stock obtained from infected salivary glands. The lowest injected dosage still producing 100% viral pathological effects was 10-4. Inhibitory effect of the virus on mating behavior in females injected with 10-4 MdSGHV was reversed by hormonal therapy. These treated females, however, still showed both pathologies (i.e., no ovarian development but still hypertrophy of the salivary glands). L-dopamine, 20-hydroxyecdysone, and (S)-methoprene supplementals on viral infected females in the ovarian rescue attempts failed with females still showing both pathologies but rescuing suppression of mating behavior using octopamine and methoprene supplements or both was successful.