The Survival of Poliomyelitis and Coxsackie Viruses Following Their Ingestion by Flies

Abstract

Poliomyelitis virus and Coxsackie (or C) virus were quantitatively fed to blowflies, Phormia regina and Phaenicia sericata, and to houseflies, Musca domestica. Naturally infectious human stools were the source of virus. Poliomyelitis virus can be almost quantitatively recovered from flies and from their excreta collected over a period of several days following the feeding. C virus can also be recovered but in lesser yields. No conclusive evidence for virus multiplication in these laboratory-bred insects was obtained. Poliomyelitis virus from human sources could be detected in flies between the 5th and 17th day and in the excreta between the 4th and 10th day. Murine-adapted strains of poliomyelitis virus and murine encephalomyelitis virus could not be detected beyond the 5th day, even though comparable amounts of virus were fed. The persistence of C virus excretion (2 to 12 days) varied directly with the amount of virus fed. Poliomyelitis virus, as present in human stools, survived drying and storage at room temperature for at least 3 days and at 4° for 3 weeks. C virus from human stools under the same circumstances was detected for 15 days at room temperature (with marked drop in titer after the 3rd day) and for 21 days at 4° with little loss in titer. When stool samples were fed to flies and the dried excreta of the insects examined, it was found that (a) poliomyelitis virus persisted for at least 1 to 2 days at room temperature and for 3 to 4 days at 4°, and (b) C virus persisted for 1 day at room temperature and for 5 days at 4°. Poliomyelitis virus could be carried through only two serial passages in adult flies. Flies emerging from maggots fed virus were free from the agent.

My Role in the Discovery and Classification of the Enteroviruses

“…Later work in the 1950s substantiated this hypothesis by breeding flies (Phormia regina) in the laboratory, infecting them with poliovirus, and determining how much virus they excreted, and for how long (82). While virus could be detected for weeks, no evidence of multiplication was obtained (59). After the coxsackieviruses and the enteroviruses had been recognized, we found that flies collected in the field were often contaminated with these viruses also (56).…”

Arthropods as Vectors and Reservoirs of Animal Pathogenic Viruses

“…This is particularly well shown in the studies of FENNER et al (1952) with myxomatosis, in which vectors feeding on skin lesions where the concentration of virus is maximum can transmit and those feeding on or through tissues where the concentration is low fail to transmit. This also appears in the studies on rabbit fibroma (KILHAM andDALMAT, 1955}, fowlpox (BRODY, 1936) and poliomyelitis and coxsackie viruses (MELNICK and PENNER, 1952).…”

“…However, as indicated in MEYER's (1953) review, external and internal mechanical transmission must be differentiated. The latter mode of transmission is recognized for at least poliomyelitis and coxsackie viruses, on the basis of MELNICK and PENNER's (1952) studies in flies; and possibly for lymphocytic choriomeningitis with bedbugs (MILZER, 1942). The internal mechanical type of vector-virus relationship would also be encompassed by DAY and BENNETTS' (1954) delayedmechanical type of transmission, which is applied to certain vector-borne plant viruses.…”

“…Several studies on fibroma virus transmission (KILHAM and WüKE, 1953;KILHAM and DALMAT, 1955) and possibly one experiment with myxomatosis (FENNER et al, 1952) indicate further study might be made of possible "anterior station" multiplication of virus in the head of the vector. The studies of poliomyelitis and coxsackie viruses in flies indicate they do not multiply but are excreted for many days after ingestion (MELNICK and PENNER, 1952).…”

Chapter 4 Picornavirus infections

“…Sabin and Ward (1941) were among the first to appreciate that the alimentary tract was a major site for polio virus replication in man. Studies in the 1940s and 1950s established that although polio virus could be isolated in flies and cockroaches, and antibodies detected in cattle and chimpanzees (Sabin and Ward, 1942, Melnick and Penner, 1952, Sabin and Fieldsteel, 1952, nevertheless the viruses are maintained in nature by human to human transmission. Epidemiological studies in Eskimoes demonstrated that antibodies to polio persisted for at least 40 years in the absence of re-infection and that natural infection gave rise to complete or partial resistance in the intestine.…”