Characterization of Cross-Species Transmission of Drosophila melanogaster Nora Virus

Abstract

Drosophila melanogaster Nora virus (DmNV) is a novel picorna-like virus first characterized in 2006. Since then, Nora virus has been detected in several non-Drosophila species, including insects in the Orders Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, and Orthoptera. The objective of this study was to determine if DmNV could infect individuals of other species of invertebrates besides D. melanogaster. The presence of DmNV in native invertebrates and commercially available stocks was determined. Laboratory-reared D. yakuba, D. mercatorum, Gryllodes sigillatus, Tenebrio molitor, Galleria mellonella, and Musca domestica were intentionally infected with DmNV. In addition, native invertebrates were collected and D. melanogaster stocks were purchased and screened for DmNV presence using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) before being intentionally infected for study. All Drosophila species and other invertebrates, except M. domestica, that were intentionally infected with DmNV ended up scoring positive for the virus via RT-PCR. DmNV infection was also detected in three native invertebrates (Spilosoma virginica, Diplopoda, and Odontotaenius disjunctus) and all commercially available stocks tested. These findings suggest that DmNV readily infects individuals of other species of invertebrates, while also appearing to be an endemic virus in both wild and laboratory D. melanogaster populations. The detection of DmNV in commercially available stocks presents a cautionary message for scientists using these stocks in studies of virology and immunology.