title: Systemic bacterial infection and immune defense phenotypes in Drosophila melanogaster.
abstract: The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is one of the premier model organisms for studying the function and evolution of immune defense. Many aspects of innate immunity are conserved between insects and mammals, and since Drosophila can readily be genetically and experimentally manipulated, they are powerful for studying immune system function and the physiological consequences of disease. The procedure demonstrated here allows infection of flies by introduction of bacteria directly into the body cavity, bypassing epithelial barriers and more passive forms of defense and allowing focus on systemic infection. The procedure includes protocols for the measuring rates of host mortality, systemic pathogen load, and degree of induction of the host immune system. This infection procedure is inexpensive, robust and quantitatively repeatable, and can be used in studies of functional genetics, evolutionary life history, and physiology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, Cornell University.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Khalil
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, Cornell University.
authors.forename: Eliana
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jacobson
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, Cornell University.
authors.forename: Moria C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Chambers
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, Cornell University; bplazzaro@cornell.edu.
authors.forename: Brian P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Lazzaro
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000276:immunology*; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D010641:Phenotype
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins