Scientists find bacteria-infected flies immune to virus

Posted October 31, 2008 17:00:00

A Queensland scientist says a discovery involving flies and bacteria could eventually stop the spread of insect transmitted diseases like Dengue Fever and West-Nile Virus.

Doctor Karyn Johnson from the University of Queensland has found flies infected with Wolbachia bacteria are protected from a normally fatal virus.

She says if scientists can understand why the insects are protected, they have the potential to control what happens inside the insect and stop the spread of disease.

"This is a totally unexpected result because normally you'd sort of think that if an animal is infected with a bacteria they're more likely to be more susceptible to a virus rather than being protected and have an anti-viral effect against the virus," she said.

She says they'll now look at whether the same protection occurs in other insect species.

"This bacteria is found in an estimated over 20 per-cent of insect species," she said.

"So we'll be looking at some other insect species to see if protection also occurs in those species and we'll also be looking to see if we can understand the mechanisms which underlie this anti-viral protection."

Topics: diseases-and-disorders, health, invertebrates, microbiology, brisbane-4000, qld