Verena-Ulrike Blaeske-Lietze, vblaeske@ufl.edu1, Christopher J. Geden, cgeden@gainesville.usda.ufl.edu2, and Drion G. Boucias, dgb@mail.ifas.ufl.edu1. (1) University of Florida, Entomology and Nematology Department, 970 Natural Area Drive, Gainesville, FL, (2) USDA-ARS, Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology, 1600 SW 23rd Dr, Gainesville, FL
A virus causing salivary gland hyperplasia (SGH) has been detected in house fly populations in northern Florida. This non-occluded, rod-shaped, double-stranded DNA virus had a genome size of approx. 137 kbp. A field survey conducted in 2005 examined the incidence of the SGH virus in feral house fly populations at different dairy farms in Florida. These results were compared with data collected in an earlier study in 1991. Laboratory experiments have investigated the impact of viral infection on house fly fitness and reproduction. Compared with healthy females, infected females laid significantly fewer eggs, and dissections revealed a suppression of ovarian development in these flies. Ongoing studies have incorporated the SGH virus into bait systems in an attempt to deliver the SGH virus into healthy house fly populations.
Species 1: Diptera Muscidae
Musca domestica (house fly)
Keywords: salivary gland hyperplasia, livestock pest
