The Drosophila Nora virus is an enteric virus, transmitted via feces

The biology of the Drosophila viruses has not been intensely investigated. Here we have investigated the biology of the Nora virus, a persistent Drosophila virus. We find that injected Nora virus is able to replicate in the files, reaching a high titer that is maintained in the next generation. There is a remarkable variation in the viral loads of individual flies in persistently infected stocks; the titers can differ by three orders of magnitude. The Nora virus is mainly found in the intestine of infected flies, and the histology of these infected intestines show increased vacuolization. The virus is excreted in the feces and is horizontally transmitted. The Nora virus infection has a very mild effect on the longevity of the flies, and no significant effect on the number of eggs laid and the percent of eggs that develop to adults. (c) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.